USAF F-16 fighter jets have started using AGR-20 APKWS II laser-guided rockets against Houthi UAVs to pull down engagement costs and deepen the magazines.
USAF sources speaking to The War Zone confirmed the use of APKWS II rockets by fighter jets against UAVs launched by Houthi insurgents without giving detailed statistics of the engagements. The official stated that laser-guided rockets have been utilised for airborne C-UAS since 2024.
Previously, the USAF tested the idea of using APKWS rockets as low-cost anti-missiles in 2019 by pairing the rockets with SNIPER targeting pod against cruise missile targets.
APKWS II is a modification of the legacy Hydra 70 mm rockets mostly found on helicopters that incorporates a guidance kit to the existing rocket body. The guidance kit includes a laser seeker distributed as apertures at the front of the fins.
Compared to an AIM-120 AMRAAM or AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile, an APKWS II, including the guidance section and rocket components, has a cost that is astronomically lower to the point tens of these rockets can be purchased for either one unit of the complex missiles.
Aside from the cost, the fact that these rockets are carried in pods housing up to seven rockets (For the case of F-16) is also a major leverage in terms of magazine depth. Deeper magazines mean more engagements per sortie, a proportionate counter to the salvoes of cheap kamikaze UAVs.
