UK mounts Vietnam-era rockets with laser kits to down Iranian drones

The Royal Air Force has turned to laser targeting devices mounted on unguided rockets dating back to the Vietnam War as a low-cost method for shooting down Iranian drones, a move the British government says will better protect citizens and regional partners from such threats.

According to the Daily Mail, the new guidance system has reduced the expense of intercepting Iranian and Russian unmanned aerial vehicles by 90 percent. The approach draws on lessons from the conflict with Iran, particularly the challenge of depleting defensive missile stockpiles, and is set to be deployed in Middle Eastern operations.

How the upgraded rockets work

The Royal Air Force solved the problem of dwindling interceptor missile inventories by equipping unguided Vietnam-era rockets with laser targeting devices. These units, known as Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS), allow Hydra 70 unguided rockets to track and destroy Iranian Shahed drones, freeing up Patriot missiles for more complex threats.

The Daily Mail described the announcement as coming at a "critical time," with Britain poised to lead a multinational force to secure the Strait of Hormuz following any peace agreement between the United States and Iran. Typhoon jets from the Royal Air Force will be deployed to protect commercial shipping from Iranian drones.

Rapid development and testing

Air Commodore Donal McGovern, deputy director of operations for the Royal Air Force, praised the speed of development and rigorous testing that preceded the deployment of these missiles on Typhoon aircraft. He stated: "APKWS missiles are a valuable addition to the air defence system, which we already use with high efficiency across the Middle East."

The British Ministry of Defence noted that swift collaboration with UK defence industry firms allowed the system to move from trials to operational deployment in under two months. A successful test strike on a ground target took place in March, and Typhoon pilots from 41 Squadron conducted successful air-to-air firing in April, demonstrating the system's ability to defend against drone attacks.

The system has now been deployed operationally in the Middle East through sorties flown by Typhoon fighters from 9 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, as part of missions to defend the British people, their interests, and partners from threats.

Cost advantage and strategic impact

Defence readiness minister Luke Pollard said: "The Typhoon fleet is the backbone of British and NATO air defence, with the Royal Air Force protecting the eastern flank of Europe from Russian drone incursions and defending our partners in the Middle East."

Air force leaders hope the innovative combination of old missile systems with decades-old laser guidance technology will prove effective on platforms beyond the Typhoon. The fast jet was designed for high-speed, high-altitude flight, not low-level patrols to intercept Iranian Shahed attack drones.

The APKWS system was used in combat for the first time by the Royal Air Force during operations in the Middle East, following trials at the Ministry of Defence's Aberporth range in West Wales.

Production costs for Shahed drones stand at £20,000 each, while advanced defensive missile systems deployed by NATO in Eastern Europe and Gulf states can cost up to £200,000. This economic disparity between attack and defence has puzzled Western air force planners, who hope the APKWS system will prove the ideal solution.

A defence source told the Daily Mail: "The exact costs are commercially sensitive, but we can say it is a fraction of the cost of alternative air-to-air missiles that are better used against cruise missiles or more difficult targets." The source added: "This also increases the number of missiles each Typhoon can carry, significantly improving the number of targets a single aircraft can engage."

The government is backing the armed forces with the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, reaching 2.6 percent of GDP from 2027.