The US military configured the AGR-20F APKWS rocket to shoot down unmanned aerial systems as a cost-saving measure.
US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets are now able to use a specialized munition to shoot down drones.
The 96th Test Wing and 53rd Wing designed, developed, and successfully tested AGR-20F Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II laser-guided rockets on the F-15E Strike Eagle.
The F-15E Strike Eagle Is Ready for Action
Following several instances of suicide drones targeting US and allied assets in the Middle East—most notoriously in the “Tower 22” attack in Jordan last year, killing three US servicemembers—the US Air Force jump-started a project to outfit more fighter jets with anti-drone weapons. The Air Force has focused on the AGR-20F APKWS munition.
“We made it a top priority to field this new capability as quickly and safely as possible. The Team Eglin testing complex put together a tremendous effort of discovery and out-of-the-box thinking to make this happen,” Air Force Brigadier General Mark Massaro, the commanding officer of the 96th Test Wing, said in a press statement.
The Air Force Seek Eagle Office (AFSEO) had nine months to complete the project. It had already outfitted the F-16V Fighting Falcon with the AGR-20F APKWS in 2024. However, there was a structural difficulty in replicating the feat in the F-15E Strike Eagle. The aircraft could not previously carry rockets.
“An already-proven way to mount the rockets onto an F-15 did not exist,” Air Force Colonel Alec Spencer, the AFSEO director, stated. “A mount would need to be created, installed and then integrated into the entire testing process.”
Eventually, the AFSEO used legacy equipment from the 1970s and created specialized racks that could take the AGR-20F APKWS.
The AGR-20F APKWS Missile Is a Drone Killer
US fighter jets have already been using the AGR-20F APKWS against enemy unmanned aerial systems in action. Back in March, the US Central Command released footage of F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets shooting down two Houthi suicide drones that attacked an aircraft carrier. This was the first public acknowledgement that the AGR-20F APKWS now has a dedicated counter-drone function.
The US military configured the AGR-20F APKWS to shoot down unmanned aerial systems as a cost-saving measure. Drones, and particularly suicide drones or one-way attack drones, are usually quite cheap. Using advanced munitions that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more, against drones is a waste of resources. Moreover, in a combat environment where US aircraft would have to deal with both enemy fighter jets and ballistic and cruise missiles, using advanced munitions against drones would only make the process more wasteful. Thus, the US military has started developing dedicated counter-drone weapons or adjusting the use of certain existing munitions to shoot down unmanned aerial systems effectively and efficiently.
There has been a flurry of counter-drone activity lately in the US military. In the final days of August, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the creation of an Army joint task force to develop ways to deal with small unmanned aerial systems. The Army also conducted specific testing on the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter against drones, examining the effectiveness of the helicopter’s weapon systems against unmanned aerial systems.
Now, after the AFSEO’s work over just a few months, the US military has another fighter jet suited to shoot down drones with specialized munitions.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
