The need for a fighter jet to eliminate multiple airborne threats—such as missiles or long-range drones—in a single sortie is becoming increasingly evident. At the same time, conventional methods, standard payload configurations, and the high cost of air-to-air missiles suggest that alternative solutions should be considered.
Currently, the known record for an F-16 is the destruction of six cruise missiles in a single sortie, a feat achieved by a Ukrainian Air Force pilot. However, with new, already battle-tested solutions, that number could increase to 28—or even more.
Read more: Why Ukraine's F-16s Take Only Four Missiles With Nine Hardpoints Available
This is where highly accurate 70mm APKWS rockets come into play. Their potential for drone interception has been known since 2019. That year, during a test exercise, an F-16C from the 53rd Test Squadron of the 85th Test and Evaluation Wing successfully shot down a BQM-167 drone target using an APKWS rocket.
As reported recently by The War Zone (TWZ), citing its own sources, the U.S. Air Force used F-16s armed with APKWS rockets to repel attacks by Yemeni Houthi strike drones over the Red Sea.
However, Defense Express notes that there is little reason why APKWS could not also be used against cruise missiles. Ground-based launchers have already proven effective in this role. For example, the Ukrainian Navy recently demonstrated how an APKWS successfully intercepted a Kh-59 missile for the first time.
Several components are required to use these rockets on F-16s. First and foremost, the APKWS itself—or similar 70mm rockets with semi-active laser guidance, such as the FZ275 LGR from Thales, which is also planned to be produced in Ukraine.

Next, the launch pods from which they will be fired. Available images from the U.S. Air Force and National Guard show that F-16s use LAU-131/A pods for launching 70mm rockets, with each pod containing seven launch tubes. Additionally, these pods are mounted on a specialized multi-rack pylon that allows up to three such pods to be carried. However, current images show only two pods mounted at a time.

They are mounted on the 3 and 7 suspension points of the F-16, but technically, they can also be installed on the 4 and 6 points. However, these points are traditionally used for external fuel tanks, which are necessary to extend the aircraft's patrol time. Meanwhile, the external suspension points under the wing and on the wingtips, 2.8 and 1.9 on the F-16, are intended for classic air-to-air missiles.

Another crucial component without which this would not work at all is the targeting pod, required for laser illumination of targets, such as cruise missiles or drones. Examples include the Litening or the newer Sniper.

Without such a pod, APKWS or any other similar high-precision, semi-active laser-guided rocket will either fail to work or become uncontrollable. Additionally, a second F-16 in a pair can provide target illumination, reducing the burden on the attacking pilot, who will only need to fire the missile.
Thus, for an F-16 to have the ability to destroy several dozen targets in a single sortie, these specific components are required: 70mm guided rockets with semi-active guidance, launch pods, targeting pods, and ideally, multi-point pylons.
Read more: The F-16 Aircraft and Ground Forces Detected over 287 Aerial Assets in a Massive 20-Hour Attack, 161 Units Were Neutralized (Trajectory)