General Atomics test fires APKWS counter-UAS rockets from MQ-9A
AI Analysis
General Atomics successfully tested firing APKWS rockets from an MQ-9A Reaper drone, expanding the platform's potential role to counter-UAS operations. This development addresses the vulnerability of MQ-9As in high-intensity conflicts by shifting its operational focus to rear-area defense. The integration leverages the low-cost effectiveness of APKWS against massed drone attacks.
Key Takeaways
- General Atomics demonstrated the successful launch of BAE Systems' APKWS rockets from an MQ-9A Reaper.
- The APKWS integration provides a lower-cost counter-UAS capability for the MQ-9A, increasing weapon options and payload capacity.
- The Pentagon committed to acquiring up to 55,000 APKWS munitions between 2025-2031, with recent emergency sales to Israel and Qatar.
- BAE Systems is developing a dual-mode seeker for APKWS, enabling limited 'fire-and-forget' capability via an infrared sensor.
- This adaptation aims to reposition the MQ-9A from high-risk frontline missions to defending bases and infrastructure against drone swarms.
Why It Matters
The proliferation of low-cost drones necessitates affordable countermeasures, and APKWS provides a viable solution. Repurposing the MQ-9A for counter-UAS duties mitigates its vulnerability in contested airspace and maximizes its utility in modern warfare. This development highlights a shift towards layered defense systems incorporating both high-end and low-cost technologies to combat drone threats.
General Atomics test fires APKWS counter-UAS rockets from MQ-9A - FlightGlobal
Munitions
General Atomics test fires APKWS counter-UAS rockets from MQ-9A
BAE Systems' Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets have emerged as a go-to choice for engaging cheap one-way attack drones US Army
The demonstration opens up a potential counter-UAS role for the MQ-9A, which is searching for a new niche in environments of high-intensity conflict.
Uncrewed aircraft manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has successfully fired low-cost guided rockets from the MQ-9A Reaper remotely piloted drone.
The tests were revealed on 11 May and involved an MQ-9A firing BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rockets in “multiple types and variations of shot profiles”, according to General Atomics.
That included air-to-air shots at unspecified aerial targets. The rockets themselves were fired from what General Atomics describes as a specialised launcher and guided onto their target using a laser designator.
The live fire testing took place at Nellis AFB in Nevada.
“We recognise the value that a system like APKWS brings to the MQ-9 aircraft as a tool to counter one-way attack drones,” says David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. “APKWS can increase the number of weapons the MQ-9A is able to carry, as well as being able to carry new lower-cost weapons.”
BAE originally designed the APKWS rockets to be a low-cost munition for air-to-ground engagement by rotary-wing platforms. The rockets were subsequently integrated into fixed-wing attack and strike fighters like the Fairchild Republic A-10 and Lockheed Martin F-16.
With the recent proliferation of low-cost, one-way attack drones like the Iranian Shahed-136(and its Russian, Chinese and now even American offshoots), military leaders are increasingly turning to cheap weapons like the APKWS as a way to defend against massed waves of small aerial targets.
L3Harris paired the rockets with an integrated laser designator for its Vampire system, which was one of the earliest pieces of military hardware provided to Ukraine by Washington.
More recently, APKWS launchers have been integrated into the Boeing F-15E and Eurofighter Typhoon, and in 2025 the Pentagon committed nearly $2 billion to acquire up to 55,000 of the APKWS munitions between now and 2031.
Earlier this month, Washington granted emergency rapid approval for the sale of more than $2 billion worth of the rockets to Israel and Qatar, with each country obtaining around 10,000 munitions.
The existing arsenal of munitions for the MQ-9A, including Hellfire missiles and Paveway II laser-guided bombs, had been focused on air-to-ground strikes. Source: US Air Force
Last year, BAE unveiled a new dual-mode seeker that incorporates a passive infrared sensor into the guidance package, allowing for a limited “fire-and-forget” capability. Under that configuration, individual APKWS rockets still acquire their ta