BELFAST — BAE Systems has successfully tested the low-cost Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) aboard a Eurofighter Typhoon fighter, in a move the company says could give the fourth-gen jet a relatively inexpensive counter-drone capability.
The company said in a statement today that the trial, conducted from its Warton, England, flight test development center, involved a UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Eurofighter test and evaluation aircraft striking a ground-based target at a British military test range.
This event “will provide valuable insights into how a low-cost precision weapon could be integrated in the aircraft, particularly counter UAS weapons, where affordable interception options are needed,” noted the statement. “It also forms part of a range of capability enhancements planned for Typhoon to increase the aircraft’s potency in current and future combat air operations.”
According to BAE company literature, APKWS guidance kits are used to convert unguided 2.75-inch rockets such as the Hydra 70 Mk 66 and other similar assets into precision-guided weapons. The rocket system is a US product.
A spokesperson for BAE told Breaking Defense today that the air-to-surface test was internally funded “as part of our commitment to invest in the advanced capabilities our customers require, ensuring they stay ahead of current and emerging threats.”
Next steps will see air-to-air testing take place, but the spokesperson explained that “any further details” including a timeframe, can’t be disclosed yet.
The initial test comes amid the US-Israeli led conflict against Iran, demonstrating a significant role played by Shahed-136 attack drones, estimated to cost around $20,000 to $50,000. Iran’s usage of cheap drones and missiles has forced Washington, Jerusalem and other Western partners including the UK to expend high end, expensive weapons to defend key assets.
As part of regional defensive operations connected to those hostilities, the UK MoD disclosed last month that a RAF Eurofighter, deployed with the joint UK-Qatar Typhoon squadron, hit an Iranian drone approaching Qatari territory. The uncrewed aerial system was downed by an unidentified air-to-air missile.
For air-to-air strikes, RAF Typhoons are equipped with AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM), Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) and Meteor munitions, according to a service factsheet. Air-to-ground weaponry includes Paveway IV bombs, Brimstone 2 missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
APKWS would appear to represent an ideal solution that eases the burden on expending expensive, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, but it remains to be seen if Eurofighter’s home nations — Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK — will invest in the low-cost, counter-drone capability once the tests are completed.
“[T]here is great interest in a capability such as APKWS,” said the BAE spokesperson.
