APEX round for Apache tested at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground

YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. — The Yuma Test Center at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground has completed testing of a new 30-mm Aviation Proximity Explosive round, designated APEX, designed specifically for employment from the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. Engineers and range personnel evaluated the round’s performance characteristics during recent trials, marking a critical step toward fielding the enhanced munition to aviation units. The APEX round is intended to expand the Apache’s lethality against a range of battlefield targets through a proximity-fuzed fragmentation warhead optimized for aerial engagements.

U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, one of the Defense Department’s premier test and evaluation facilities, provided the expansive range space, instrumentation, and expertise required to validate the round’s ballistic properties and safety protocols. Data collected during the test series will inform final production specifications and deployment timelines for the new cartridge.