Since the successful 2019 experiment with APKWS laser-guided rockets fired from an F-16 Fighting Falcon and the first confirmed combat use of this combo against Houthis in Yemen, the United States has been exploring adding the same capability to the F-15 Strike Eagle, too.
Citing The Merge, media outlet The War Zone shared a photo of an F-15E, surfaced on social media recently. The aircraft in the image carries three pods with seven APKWS II rockets each under its left wing. It is stated that the same number fits under its right wing, too, bringing the total rocket capacity to 42.
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That's a beast-mode-for-drones loadout. pic.twitter.com/YdNRHgkwzP — The Merge (@MergeNewsletter) May 22, 2025
Add another eight conventional air-to-air missiles — e.g. in the photo we can also see AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAA) — and it turns out that the F-15 can theoretically down up to 50 targets with guided weapons, not to mention the onboard autocannon.
For a reminder, an F-16 outfitted with APKWS could only take four rocket pods, seven tubes each, mounted via the LAU-131/A launcher onto the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th hardpoints of the aircraft, for a total of 28 rockets.
When the F-15E Strike Eagle will be fully ready to field APKWS II is not clear yet, but Gabriel Myers, a spokesperson for the 96th Test Wing, said the preparations are being done "rapidly." He also confirmed that the photo of the fighter with APKWS was taken at the Eglin Air Force Base.
Although positioned as a versatile weapon against both airborne and ground targets, affordability makes APKWS an exceptional tool for anti-drone defense first of all. Made by combining cheap Hydra-70 unguided rockets with a sensor suite and control surfaces, the weapon offers a budget-friendly solution to enemy kamikaze drones, expendable loitering munitions, and the like.
While the current APKWS pricing is unknown, as of 2023 it cost about $40,000 per rocket for export. Open-source estimates say one APKWS II rocket should go for $15,000–$20,000 for a domestic customer. Still much cheaper than an AIM-9, priced at over $700,000 for export, or an AIM-120 worth $1.3mln (in the U.S.) all the way up to 2 million for foreign customers.
Evidently, the U.S. Air Force finds using relatively cheap modified rockets against comparably priced kamikaze drones more attractive than spending missiles worth millions of dollars each repelling Houthi strikes in the Red Sea. Seeing attack drones dominate modern battlefields, the military responds in kind: the USAF integrates APKWS into helicopters, while the French Navy, for example, explores using FPV drones to counter explosive unmanned boats in a manner that copies russian tactics.
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