Staff Sgt. Tim Andrews
The TWZ Newsletter
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Army boosts Apache’s counter-drone capabilities. The Army is accelerating procurement of XM1225 APEX rounds for AH-64 Apaches to enhance their role as counter-drone platforms.
Northrop Grumman ramps up production. The company produced 1,000 rounds this month and plans to increase production fivefold to meet Army demands.
APEX rounds offer versatile engagement options. These proximity-detonating rounds can target drones, personnel, vehicles, and small boats, providing unique area effects.
Successful live-fire tests at Yuma Proving Ground. In December 2025, Apaches demonstrated effective air-to-air engagement using APEX rounds against unmanned aircraft systems.
Minimal training required for Apache crews. The ballistic properties of APEX rounds are similar to existing M789 rounds, requiring little additional training.
Bottom line: The U.S. Army is significantly increasing production of XM1225 APEX rounds for AH-64 Apaches to enhance their counter-drone capabilities. These versatile rounds have proven effective in tests and require minimal additional training for crews, marking a tactical advancement in battlefield capability.
The Army is accelerating procurement of 30x113mm XM1225 Aviation Proximity Explosive (APEX) rounds for its fleet of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. The move comes as the service is looking to enhance the aircraft’s burgeoning role as a counter-drone platform, something The War Zone has covered frequently. These shells, fired by the Apache’s chin-mounted M230 cannon, will add to its drone-killing arsenal, giving it a cheaper and more plentiful engagement option than some of the alternatives. You can read all about the XM1225 APEX round in our previous coverage here.
Seeing a growing need for these rounds, the Army went to Northrop Grumman, which makes them, and asked them to boost production, said Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, commander of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He was speaking during the Army Aviation Association of America’s Army Aviation Warfighting Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, which TWZ was in attendance.
A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter fires the M230 Bushmaster chain gun during live-fire aerial gunnery training at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, Republic of Korea, on March 6, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Neil McLean) Staff Sgt. Cornelius McLean
“We had had 600 rounds total,” Gill explained. “They produced 1,000 already this month and can produce another 1,000 and will ramp their rate up to probably five times that.”
The company could not immediately comment about this effort.
The specialized APEX ammunition works by detonating only when it is close to an object, then it explodes in a spray of shrapnel. This is critical to shooting down drones, which are small, independently moving targets. These round