After NATO used air-to-air missiles far more expensive than the attacking loitering munitions notably AIM-120C-7 AMRAAMs to shoot down russian- and iranian-made long-range strike drones such as Shahed-type UAV/Geran-2, the Alliance has become acutely aware of the need for more diverse countermeasures.
First of all, the focus is on anti-drone loitering munitions, which the Ukrainian Defence Forces were among the first to employ in combat and which proved effective both against reconnaissance UAVs and against Shahed-type strike drones.
Read more: Ukraine's Nexus Unit Downs Dozens of russian Reconnaissance Drones (Video)
But if manned fighters are to be used to shoot down drones, there is a far cheaper yet still effective option: precision rockets in the AGR-20 FALCON (APKWS) family. These laser-guided rockets have already been integrated on several U.S Air Force platforms F-16, F-15E and A-10 (the latter of which is being retired from service). APKWS offers a low-cost way to engage small aerial threats without expending expensive air-to-air missiles.
Soon another European type may join that list: the Eurofighter Typhoon. According to The War Zone, BAE Systems is actively studying APKWS integration for Typhoon, as explained by Paul Smith, head of Typhoon Strategy Delivery.
Currently they are conducting assessments of integrating the laser-guided APKWS rockets on the Typhoon a cost-effective option for shooting down drones and performing technical-economic feasibility studies.
Smith also noted there may be scenarios where development priorities shift toward anti-drone capabilities rather than other planned upgrades (for example, integrating a new AESA radar), although such a radar would also bolster the aircraft’s counter-drone performance.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that russia has been adopting Ukrainian experience and even begun using Yak-52 aircraft to shoot down drones.
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