The Russian military has acquired an American-made APKWS II (Advanced Precision Weapon System) guided missile, according to the Russian Telegram channel Voyny Osvidometel.
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The missile was seized after the warhead detonator malfunctioned, leaving the missile intact after it fell to the ground.
The channel published a photograph showing a Russian soldier standing next to an unexploded APKWS missile.
The channel did not specify the operational axis where the image was taken, or the area where the missile was found.
It is reported that the Ukrainian armed forces use these munitions to target Russian "Guran" drones, and they can be launched from F-16 fighter jets. The missile has a range of about 11 kilometers.
The APKWS II (Advanced Precision Weapon System) is a BAE Systems project that converts the unguided 70mm Hydra 70 rocket into a precision-guided munition by integrating a semi-active laser guidance system between the warhead and the engine. Production of the upgraded version began in 2011.
Weight: about 15 kilograms.
Diameter: 70 mm.
Length: 1.87 meters.
Maximum speed: between 740 and 1100 meters per second, i.e., about Mach 2.
Effective range: between 2 and 11 kilometers when launched from a fixed-wing aircraft, and may reach 12-15 kilometers depending on the platform and launch altitude.
Cost and economic advantage
One of the missile's key advantages is its low cost; the laser guidance unit alone costs between $15,000 and $20,000, a significantly lower price compared to conventional air-launched missiles. For comparison, the AIM-120 AMRAAM costs around $1 million, while the AIM-9X Sidewinder costs over $450,000.
This feature makes the missile a suitable option for countering low-cost aerial targets, such as drones.
APKWS II is designed for use on a wide range of platforms, including:
AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
F-16, F-15E Strike Eagle and F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets.
It has also been tested on Eurofighter Typhoon fighters.
The missile gained notoriety after reports that Ukrainian forces used it on F-16 fighter jets to intercept Russian Guran and Shahed drones. Using this munition in this role is seen as less expensive than using costly air-to-air missiles.
Published images show that the F-16 fighter jet can carry 6 LAU-131/A pods, each containing 7 missiles, meaning it can carry 42 APKWS II missiles in a single sortie.
Work is underway to develop a new version called the AGR-20F FALCO, equipped with a dual-mode guidance system that combines laser guidance and a long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) seeker.
This development aims to reduce the time the pilot needs to keep the laser beam fixed on the target, and to move to a "fire and forget" mode, allowing for handling large numbers of drones more quickly.
An amount of $145 million was allocated for the development of this version, with plans to test it on the F-16 platform.
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