Contributor - UK

David Donald

St. Louis-based Arnold Defense is exhibiting at the Paris Air Show for the first time, joining other aerospace companies on the stand of the state of Missouri (Hall 3, Stand C148). The company is well known as the manufacturer of rocket pods and is showing its new LWL-12 lightweight launcher.

 


Weighing just 60 pounds (27 kg) empty, the LWL-12 is a 12-round pod for 2.75-in rockets. It is based on Arnold’s M261 nineteen-round pod that is a standard fit on various helicopters, including the AH-64 Apache, with the lower seven tubes removed in a cut-down pod.

 


The company has been making 2.75-inch rocket launchers since 1961 and has now supplied more than 1.2 million pods for U.S., NATO, and allied customers. A variety of designs are on offer to match various size, weight, capacity, form-factor requirements, and applications in air, land, and maritime domains.

 


Alongside the M261, the company’s core products include the M260 seven-round launcher and its LAU-69 thermal-coated variant (for U.S. Navy/Marine Corps use), as well as the LAU-61 digital rocket launcher used by the U.S. Navy with APKWS laser-guided rockets. The seven-round LAU-131 pod is mainly used by the U.S. Air Force. The company also makes the four-tube SUU-25 that can dispense up to eight flares.

Lightweight Launcher Makes Debut at Paris Air Show

Rocket pod maker Arnold Defense has added a 12-round launcher to its portfolio.

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