UK fast track APKWS for Middle East drone interception - Airforce Technology
AI Analysis
The UK has rapidly deployed the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) to the Middle East, specifically with RAF IX Squadron in Cyprus, to counter Iranian drones. This involves modifying existing Hydra 70 rockets into precision-guided munitions for air-to-air interception by Eurofighter Typhoons. The move highlights a prioritization of low-cost, effective C-UAS solutions due to budgetary constraints and the increasing drone threat.
Key Takeaways
- APKWS deployment to the Middle East was completed in just two months.
- The system utilizes laser guidance to convert unguided Hydra 70 rockets (~$3,000 each) into precision weapons (~$24,000 each).
- RAF IX Squadron will employ APKWS from Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
- The APKWS is significantly cheaper than other RAF air-to-air missiles like ASRAAM (hundreds of thousands of dollars).
- The UK is actively seeking and deploying cost-effective C-UAS solutions, bypassing delays in the Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
Why It Matters
This rapid deployment demonstrates the UK's responsiveness to the evolving drone threat and a willingness to field innovative, lower-cost solutions. It signals a shift towards prioritizing practical C-UAS capabilities over lengthy procurement processes and highlights the increasing importance of asymmetric warfare considerations. The use of existing rocket infrastructure for precision guidance offers a scalable and affordable approach to drone defense.
UK fast track APKWS for Middle East drone interception - Airforce Technology
Pictured: Typhoon aircraft firing Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) in April 2026 trial. Credit: Crown copyright / UK Ministry of Defence.
- The UK has tested and deployed the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) in just two months
- The system will be used to provide precision strike capabilities against Iranian attack drones in the Middle East
- Royal Air Force (RAF) IX Squadron, currently based in Cyprus, will launch the weapon from Eurofighter Typhoon jets
RAF IX Squadron will launch the APKWS weapon from Eurofighter Typhoons to counter uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) that pose a threat in Middle East.
The system uses a laser targeting system that turns unguided missiles – the Hydra 70 rocket – into low-cost precision weapons able to take down enemy drones.
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The cost of unguided Hydra 70 rockets come to ~$3,000 per unit, but equipped with the APKWS midsection, the precision guided weapon comes to ~$24,000, according to FY2022 budget estimates.
This is considerably less than other air-to-air missiles in the RAF inventory, such as the heat-seeking Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), which costs hundred of thousands more. Meanwhile, ASRAAM is being reconfigured for ground based air defence from the versatile Raven system in Ukraine.
C-UAS refuse to wait for the DIP
Low-cost C-UAS is a coveted capability for cash-strapped and overstretched militaries like the UK Armed Forces.
The drone age demands innovative and timely responses to counter emerging UAS technologies in a sustainable way. In this landscape, there is no waiting for the Government’s routinely delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which will detail a cost breakdown for all major UK defence programmes for the next ten years.
Image of the APKWS, armed on 9 Squadron RAF Typhoon aircraft deployed from RAF Akrotiri. Credit: Crown copyright/UK MoD.
Contemporary conflict trends point to the need to preserve conventional capabilities.
For example, the US-Iran war demonstrated the need to preserve an advanced and costly missile inventory. The US Air Force, upon securing aerial superiority over Iran, soon resorted to B-52 bombing runs and the use of laser guided kits to deliver Joint Direct Attack Munitions.
Indeed, the UK has demonstrated remarkable efforts to reduce the cost gap between attack drones and the means to intercept them, particularly in the Middle East, where new systems like Rapid Sentry(using LMMs from the ground) as well as detection and tracking systems such as ORCUS an