• • CONTACTS
  • • PRIVACY POLICY
  • • GADGETS & TECHNOLOGIES
AERONAUT.media
  • NEWS:
  • • Aviation
  • • UAVs & drones
  • • Flying weapon
  • • Space
  • ARTICLES
  • Language:
  • EN
  • UA
No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS:
  • • Aviation
  • • UAVs & drones
  • • Flying weapon
  • • Space
  • ARTICLES
  • Language:
  • EN
  • UA
No Result
View All Result
AERONAUT.media
No Result
View All Result
Home News Aviation news

F-15E Strike Eagle Equipped with 42 Guided Missiles for Drone Defense

Julia Alexandrova by Julia Alexandrova
26/05/2025
in Aviation news
0
F-15E Strike Eagle
20
SHARES
377
VIEWS

The U.S. Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle has received a new weapons loadout – up to 42 APKWS II precision-guided rockets. This upgrade enhances the jet’s ability to engage drones and cruise missiles, effectively turning it into a “missile truck” with expanded air defense capabilities.

According to The War Zone, an F-15E from the USAF’s 96th Test Wing was recently spotted carrying six launch pods, each loaded with seven 70mm guided rockets – bringing the total to 42. When combined with its standard air-to-air missile loadout, this configuration significantly boosts the aircraft’s effectiveness against low-altitude aerial threats.

F-15E Strike Eagle

Traditional air-to-air missiles, while powerful, are expensive and limited in number. In conflicts involving mass deployment of drones and loitering munitions, there’s a growing need for a larger volume of lower-cost weapons – and that’s where the APKWS II (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II), also known as the AGR-20, comes into play.

Developed in the early 2000s, this system converts standard unguided Hydra 70 rockets into precision-guided munitions by integrating a guidance module. It’s produced by a consortium that includes BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics. Most of the rocket’s original components – such as the motor, warhead, and fuse – remain unchanged. However, the addition of a laser guidance section dramatically improves accuracy. This approach significantly reduces the cost per shot and helps minimize collateral damage. It also cuts ammunition preparation time by up to 50%.

F-15E Strike Eagle

In early 2025, BAE Systems introduced an updated version of the APKWS II rocket equipped with an infrared seeker. This new design allows the rocket to initially lock onto a target using laser guidance, then transition to tracking the target’s heat signature independently. The addition of infrared homing significantly improves performance against fast, maneuverable, or erratically moving threats, including loitering munitions. As a result, the system is now more versatile – capable of engaging both ground targets and airborne threats.

Compared to the F-16, the F-15E Strike Eagle offers greater range and payload capacity. When armed with this type of guided rocket, the aircraft becomes a practical platform for intercepting a large number of smaller airborne threats such as drones, missiles, and fast-moving aerial vehicles. APKWS II rockets are already in active use on other platforms, including AH-64 Apache and AH-1Z Viper helicopters, as well as A-10, F-16, and F/A-18 fighter jets.

Beyond aircraft deployment, the system has been adapted for use on ground-based platforms. This includes the VAMPIRE system, which has been supplied to Ukraine, and the EAGLS maritime ground launchers, acquired by the U.S. Navy for operations in the Middle East.

In 2023, footage emerged online showing Ukrainian forces using the VAMPIRE system mounted on HMMWV M1152 pickup trucks to counter Russian drones. There were also reports of a Russian Kh-59 cruise missile being intercepted over the Black Sea using an APKWS rocket.

Integrating APKWS II rockets on the F-15E represents a shift in air defense strategy. Instead of relying solely on a limited number of expensive missiles, the aircraft can now carry dozens of lower-cost, precision-guided munitions. This approach is better suited to the demands of modern warfare, where drones and small, highly maneuverable targets are becoming increasingly dominant on the battlefield.

Source: Interestingengineering

Tags: FightersNewsUSA
Share8Tweet5ShareShareShareShare1Pin3
Previous Post

Ukraine Testing New Kamikaze Strike Drones

Next Post

Netherlands Delivers Final Batch of F-16 Fighters to Ukraine

Julia Alexandrova

Julia Alexandrova

Coffee lover. Photographer. I am writing about science and space. I think it's too early for us to meet aliens. I follow the development of robotics, just in case ...

RelatedPosts

Typhoon
Aviation news

UK Prepares Major Typhoon Fighter Jet Deal for Turkey

23/07/2025
42
Mirage 2000
Aviation news

Ukraine Loses Mirage-2000 Fighter Jet: What Caused the Crash

23/07/2025
60
Проєкт 61
Aviation news

Ukrainian Air Force Receives Mobile F-16 Maintenance Unit

22/07/2025
61
Eurofighter Typhoon
Aviation news

Photographer Captures Moment Spanish Fighter Jet Collides with Bird

20/07/2025
367
INVICTUS ESA hypersonic test platform
Aviation news

UK and ESA Collaborate on New Hypersonic Experimental Aircraft

17/07/2025
142
AN-124 Ruslan
Aviation news

Modernized “Ruslan” Aircraft Successfully Relocated from Ukraine to Germany

17/07/2025
79
Next Post
F-16

Netherlands Delivers Final Batch of F-16 Fighters to Ukraine

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Mastodon
  • RSS
  • Twitter

RSS Gadgets & Technologies

  • UK Prepares Major Typhoon Fighter Jet Deal for Turkey 23/07/2025
  • Ukraine Loses Mirage-2000 Fighter Jet: What Caused the Crash 23/07/2025
  • Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Review: Multifunctional TWS Headphones 23/07/2025
  • Saturn ST-AC2010 Climate System Review: Beating the Heat 23/07/2025
  • “The Drone Drops a Grenade” – or How the Pentagon Was Embarrassed 22/07/2025

Recent Comments

  • Vladyslav Surkov on A-10 Thunderbolt II Attack Aircraft Escort Nuclear Submarine Wyoming During Drills
  • Vladyslav Surkov on A-10 Thunderbolt II Attack Aircraft Escort Nuclear Submarine Wyoming During Drills

Recent Posts

  • UK Prepares Major Typhoon Fighter Jet Deal for Turkey
  • Ukraine Loses Mirage-2000 Fighter Jet: What Caused the Crash
  • “The Drone Drops a Grenade” – or How the Pentagon Was Embarrassed
  • Ukrainian Air Force Receives Mobile F-16 Maintenance Unit
  • Everything About Tempest – The UK’s Sixth-Generation Fighter Jet

SWITCH LANGUAGE:

  • EN
  • UA
  • • CONTACTS
  • • PRIVACY POLICY
  • • GADGETS & TECHNOLOGIES

© 2024-2025 AERONAUT.media

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS:
  • • Aviation
  • • UAVs & drones
  • • Flying weapon
  • • Space
  • ARTICLES
  • Language:
  • EN
  • UA

© 2024-2025 AERONAUT.media