On January 25, the Ukrainian Navy showcased a significant milestone in modern warfare by releasing footage of its crew successfully intercepting russian Kh-59 air-to-surface missile. This missile, launched by russian Su-57 aircraft, was intended to target civilian infrastructure at the Pivdennyi sea trading port. Remarkably, the missile was destroyed using the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), marking the first publicly documented use of this system against such target.
This achievement highlights the adaptability of the Ukrainian forces. The APKWS integrates unguided Hydra 70 70 mm rockets with a laser guidance module, transforming them into high-precision tools for countering aerial threats. Germany initially announced the delivery of the APKWS to Ukraine in 2023, and their combat use has been steadily expanding. In February 2024, the Ukrainian Navy demonstrated similar systems intercepting the Shahed drones, proving the versatility of the APKWS in combating both drones and missiles.
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Ukraine’s use of the APKWS relies on the Vampire launchers, 14 of which were ordered from L3Harris Technologies and have already been delivered. Despite their effectiveness, analysts, such as Colby Badhwar, argue that the U.S. should have procured far more units, pointing to the substantial global supply of the Hydra 70 rockets and the high production capacity of the APKWS kits.
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