The Royal Air Force has introduced the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) on Eurofighter Typhoon jets deployed in the Middle East, providing a lower-cost option for intercepting hostile drones. The integration gives Typhoons a precision weapon to counter unmanned aerial threats at a fraction of the cost of traditional short-range air-to-air missiles.
APKWS uses a laser guidance kit to convert standard 70 mm unguided rockets into precision-guided munitions. According to UK defence officials, the system progressed from testing to operational deployment in under two months, following work by the Ministry of Defence and industry partners BAE Systems and QinetiQ.
Initial trials included a successful strike against a ground target in March, followed by air-to-air firings against Banshee target drones in April, carried out by pilots from the RAF’s 41 Test and Evaluation Squadron. The weapons are now carried by Typhoons from No. 9 Squadron operating from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, supporting regional air defense missions amid ongoing tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
British officials say the APKWS capability is intended to make sustained counter-drone operations more economical, allowing Typhoons to engage larger numbers of low-cost drones without relying exclusively on higher-priced missiles.