The US Air Force F-15E fighter jet has been converted into a UAV fighter with 42 laser-guided rockets and 8 air-to-air missiles. A few days after the first images emerged of F-15Es carrying 4 or 6 LAU-131 rocket pods for drone interception missions, US Central Command (CENTCOM) released a photo showing an operationally deployed F-15E with the same weapons loadout.
New Weapon Loadout and Deployment
Observed in F-15Es during tests conducted at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and total 42 AGR-20 APKWS II (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems II) It was learned that F-6E loaded with 131 LAU-15 pods containing laser-guided rockets were deployed to the Middle East and reached the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility (AOR).
Another detail observed in the aircraft's weapon load is that the F-15E has 42 rockets, 4 AIM-9X and 4 AIM-120C/D air-to-air missiles Although it was not disclosed in the post made by CENTCOM where the F-15E was sent, according to OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) Researcher Evergreen Intel, the deployment took place in Jordan.
Use and Cost Effectiveness of APKWS in Air-to-Air Missions
The APKWS ammunition, which was tested with F-15Es at Eglin Air Force Base, has recently begun to be used in air-to-air missions by U.S. Air Force F-16s that are conducting unmanned aerial vehicle interception missions around the Red Sea. In these missions, one of the F-16s, usually flying in pairs, detects the target with the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod, while the other destroys the target using APKWS rockets.
Compared to traditional air-to-air missile loads, the APKWS configuration significantly increases the F-16’s engagement capacity. While a standard AIM-9X and AIM-120 missile load provides six rounds, carrying 6 or 1 rocket pods with the APKWS allows the F-2 to triple that number. This provides much lower cost of interception, especially against low-cost UAVs. Each APKWS rocket costs approximately 30 thousand dollars while an AIM-9X costs around 450 thousand dollarsand the cost of an AIM-120 per unit is 1 Million DollarsIt is worth noting that it exceeds .
F-15E's New Capabilities and Operational Flexibility
With the concept in question, the F-15E can carry up to 8 APKWS rockets with 6 LAU-131 pods in addition to the standard 42 air-to-air missiles. This provides the aircraft with up to 50 engagement opportunities, even without taking into account the internal weapon. This weapon loadout will provide greater operational flexibility in the field, as the F-15's rear-seat Weapon System Officer can laser-designate targets using the Sniper targeting pod, while allowing the pilot to concentrate on the engagement. Thus, there will be no need for paired operations 'within the environment/mission' as in the missions carried out with the F-16.
Despite all these advantages, it can be said that APKWS rockets are only effective against predictable targets with limited maneuverability, which is a disadvantage. Initially designed as a low-cost, laser-guided precision munition for air-to-ground targets, APKWS II was first tested for air-to-air use in 2019. In this context, the system offers a cost-effective option for combating slow-moving air threats such as UAVs and cruise missiles.
Türkiye in Land Based APKWS Concept: ROKETSAN PUSU
In this context, the APKWS munitions integrated by the US into aircraft are also used in land-based anti-UAV roles. For example, the US L3Harris is launching APKWS II rockets from civilian or commercially available vehicles. VAMPIRE system developed and exported it to Ukraine. APKWS is the largest missile defense system in terms of both size and guidance. CİRİT missile It is quite similar to the . The main difference between the two products is that APKWS was developed as a pod for 2,75-inch rockets, while CİRİT was developed as a missile from scratch in the same dimensions. In the past months, the truck-mounted CİRİT system PUSU, was introduced by ROKETSAN. PUSU, which was announced to be developed for land-land targets, is similar in appearance to the VAMPIRE system. ROKETSAN is also expected to use a PUSU-based system for cost-effective drone/UAV hunting missions with a CİRİT or CİRİT-derived product.
PUSU, which is powered by 4 CİRİT laser-guided missiles, draws attention with its high precision strike power that provides great success in operations up to 8 kilometers as well as its mobile structure. PUSU, which aims to make a difference in the field by providing an effective solution against fixed or moving targets, is integrated onto the vehicle cabin and is ASELSAN's KARAKURT with electro-optic and infrared (EO/IR) sensor system It works with 1 laser designator for target detection. The system, which reaches targets with high accuracy thanks to advanced laser guidance technology, will significantly increase the operational power of security forces. In this context, PUSU will fully meet modern warfare and defense needs with its speed, precision and effective strike power.
The VAMPIRE (Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment) system developed by L3Harris, which can be considered the US equivalent of PUSU, is also a system that can be easily transported and integrated into many platforms when considering today's combat standards. VAMPIRE uses the 70mm laser-guided APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) produced by UK-based BAE Systems and other laser-guided munitions. In this context, APKWS can hit rotary-wing air targets up to 5 kilometers and fixed-wing systems up to 12 kilometers.
