BAE Demonstrates Potential Eurofighter Low-Cost Anti-Drone ...
AI Analysis
BAE Systems has successfully demonstrated the firing of an Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guided rocket from a Eurofighter Typhoon, offering a lower-cost alternative to current anti-drone measures. This development could enhance the RAF's capabilities against one-way attack drones at reduced costs.
Key Takeaways
- BAE Systems tested the APKWS guided rocket on a Eurofighter Typhoon.
- The APKWS system offers a cost-effective alternative to the MBDA Asraam missiles.
- The test involved firing a single rocket at a surface target with guidance from the Litening targeting pod.
- The APKWS has been adapted for anti-drone roles by the U.S. Air Force and is being considered by the French Air Force.
- The trial demonstrates the potential for rapid integration of low-cost precision weapons onto the Eurofighter platform.
Why It Matters
This development signifies a strategic shift towards more cost-effective counter-UAS solutions, potentially allowing for broader deployment and increased operational flexibility. The successful integration of APKWS onto the Eurofighter could set a precedent for future upgrades and adaptations, enhancing NATO air forces' capabilities against emerging drone threats.
BAE Demonstrates Potential Eurofighter Low-Cost Anti-Drone Capability | Aviation Week Network
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BAE Demonstrates Potential Eurofighter Low-Cost Anti-Drone Capability
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Tony Osborne April 08, 2026
Although rocket pods were fitted to two pylons, only one APKWS rocket was launched in the initial trial.
Credit: BAE Systems
LONDON—BAE Systems has demonstrated the ability to fire guided rockets from the Eurofighter Typhoon to provide a lower-cost means for the aircraft to down one-way attack drones.
The company-funded effort saw a single Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guided rocket fired from a seven-round pod fitted to a test aircraft during early March. BAE announced the test and development effort on April 8.
The guided rocket was launched at a surface target at a UK military testing range with guidance provided by the aircraft’s centerline Litening targeting pod. The next step will be to demonstrate launching APKWS against a flying target.
Until now, the RAF has been using the MBDA Asraam missile (left) for one-way attack drone engagements. APKWS could do this at much lower cost. Credit: BAE Systems.
APKWS is a BAE Systems-developed guidance kit that can be fitted to U.S.-made Hydra 70mm rockets. The system has been rapidly adapted into the anti-one-way-attack drone role by the U.S. Air Force on the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle and the Lockheed Martin F-16, which have used them effectively against Iranian Shaheds in the Middle East. That experience has even prompted an upgrade to the APKWS by adding a long-wave infrared seeker. The French Air Force, too, has been looking at integrating a low-cost guided rocket using a Thales-developed system for the Dassault Rafale.
Until now, UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon engagements against Shaheds have been performed using their MBDA Asraam short-range air-to-air missiles, which are considerably more expensive than the APKWS option.
“This trial with the APKWS laser-guidance kit on Typhoon demonstrates a game-changing capability and a cost-effective solution that would enhance Typhoon’s already impressive range of weapons capabilities,” said Richard Hamilton, managing director of air operations at BAE Systems' Air unit.
BAE Systems said the trial, which has been supported by the RAF, shows how relatively quickly a low-cost precision weapon could be integrated onto the aircraft. Integration of weapons onto the Eurofighter has always been a complex effort because of the platform’s inherent instability, which gives the aircraft high agility and maneuverability and enables acceleration into the supersonic flight regime. Work is underway across the four nations to speed this integration process up