U.S. Equips F-16s with APKWS II Rockets to Counter Drones

29 January, 2025 F-16 with APKWS II rockets. Source: The War Zone F-16 fighter jets of the United States Air Force have used laser-guided APKWS II missiles to intercept Houthi drones.

The War Zone reported this, citing a U.S. military official. The source of the publication did not provide information on the date of use, effectiveness and number of missiles fired. According to a U.S.

Air Force spokesman, APWKS II was first used last year "as one of many options for countering the Houthi UAS [uncrewed aerial systems] threat."

F-16 with APKWS II rockets (rear). Source: The War Zone

He emphasized that one of the advantages of using APKWS II is the lower price compared to the main AIM-9X air-to-air missile. According to Pentagon budget documents, the cost per unit of the AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II missile is slightly under £420,000.

For comparison, the APKWS II guidance and control system costs about £15,000, and several thousand dollars more are needed for the warhead and engine. It is worth noting that this is the cost of the modernization kit without taking into account the cost of the Hydra 70 unguided air-to-surface rocket.

F-16 with APKWS II rockets (left). Source: The War Zone

There have already been signs that APKWS II has been used as an air-to-air missile: in December, the U.S.

Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) released a photo of a pair of F-16Cs carrying these missiles. Both aircraft were carrying LITENING laser guidance pods and high-speed anti-radiation missile (HTS) guidance pods.

APKWS

In the early 2000s, the U.S. Army wanted a highly accurate and low-cost system to destroy lightly armored targets.

To find a solution to this gap, the terms of reference were handed over to the American company BAE Systems. In mid-2005, the company presented a high-precision version of the Hydra 70 unguided missile with a semi-active homing warhead. APWKS missiles are equipped with an improved engine from the Norwegian company Nammo.

This increases the maximum range of the missile to 15 km. In addition, the range can be increased by using an optimized trajectory that is integrated into the missile's control system.

Variants of high-precision APWKS rockets with WGU-59/B semiactive homing head. Photo: BAE Systems

Moreover, the missile can be equipped with a new HEAT/APAM warhead.

Read more about Hydra 70 rockets in the article on Militarnyi.

The new missile can be launched from the same platforms as its predecessor, but aircraft and helicopters must be equipped with a laser targeting system to use its high-precision guidance.

The missile can be used from airplanes with targeting from Litening 5 or Sniper XR suspended containers. In December 2019, the 85th Test Wing of the U.S. Air Force tested the APKWS rockets against a drone that simulated a cruise missile.

According to the U.S. Air Force, the missile demonstrated the same capabilities as the more expensive AIM-120. In 2021, the company already conducted practical tests of the missile from a ground launcher.

The tests demonstrated the missile's ability to destroy ground and small unmanned targets.