RAF eyes cheap drone-killer as Typhoon jet tests laser-guided rockets

Cheap and clever: Typhoon tries APKWS

BAE Systems has tested the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) on an RAF Typhoon evaluation aircraft, successfully striking a ground target at a UK military range, the company says. The APKWS is a kit that adds laser guidance to the ubiquitous 2.75-inch Hydra 70 rocket by inserting a canard-guided mid-body with laser seekers — simple, mechanical, effective. It’s not brand-new tech; APKWS reached initial operating capability years ago, but the rise of drones has given it new life as a low-cost interceptor.

A price that turns heads

Why bother with a multimillion-pound air-to-air missile when a guided rocket might do the trick? It has been reported that APKWS-equipped rockets can cost less than $40,000 each, making them far cheaper than traditional missiles and, allegedly, comparable to the price of some attack drones. The Pentagon reportedly ordered thousands in a big deal last year, and APKWS was allegedly used by F-16s against Houthi drones — all signs that cheap precision is in vogue when you need numbers over glamour.

Integration and tactics

BAE says the tests — carried out at its Lancashire development centre and backed by the RAF — will help work out how to integrate the weapon on frontline jets where affordable interception matters most. The Ministry of Defence has been asked to confirm whether APKWS will be fielded on Typhoons; no firm deployment decision has been announced. This fits into a broader trend: the UK has been adding low-cost, laser-guided options like Martlet for helicopters, and bases such as RAF Akrotiri have been beefing up defences against Iranian drones.

Old name, new purpose

There’s a nice bit of history here. The Typhoon’s name echoes the WWII Hawker Typhoon, which shredded tanks with rockets after D-Day — history repeating, in a way. Small, cheap weapons punching above their weight against a new kind of threat; defenders love that. The emotional beat is obvious: when massed swarms meet tight budgets, ingenuity — not just big-ticket tech — often wins the day.

Sources: The Register