In the Middle East, the USAF has begun to increasingly deploy Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bombers equipped with semi-active laser (SAL) guided missiles to counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and more.
In particular, F-15Es were seen armed with up to 42 70mm APKWS-II that accompany other AIM-9X and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.
The use of guided APKWS-II rockets to engage drones and UAS has proven successful from a technical-operational and economic point of view, as an APKWS-II rocket has a significantly lower unit cost compared to a heat-seeking AIM-9X, whose employment can, in this way, be reserved for higher value and importance targets.
In this way, the fighters of the USAF, but also of the US Navy, can be equipped with a large number of SAL guided rockets and are able to face the multiple threat posed by drones and UAS.
Naturally, the SAL guided missile requires target illumination, which is guaranteed by the same fighter or by another aircraft equipped with a targeting pod (pods which have proven effective also in the air-to-air role).
Beyond drones and UAS, the USAF has successfully engaged cruise missiles with APKWS-II, targets that are normally “collaborative” in the sense that they do not maneuver during the cruise phase, making interception easier.
Characteristics of the APKWS-II
The SAL (Semi Active Laser) guided missile weighs 15 kilograms and has a useful range between 1,000 and 5,000 meters when launched from a helicopter, which becomes 2,000 up to a maximum of 11,000 meters if used from a fixed-wing aircraft.
The maximum speed attainable by the APKWS ranges from 740 to 1,100 meters per second.
A software update of the APKWS developed by BAE Systems has been available since the end of 2021 that increases the range by 30% via an optimized flight trajectory to hit targets with a steeper attack angle.
The APKWS II equipped with Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker or DASALS technology have actual air-to-air counter capabilities thanks to modifications made to the software, the so-called Fixed Wing, Air-Launched, Counter-UAS Ordnance (FALCO).
Photo credit @U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
