By carrying six LAU-131 A/A rocket pods, the F-16 will be capable of carry as much as 42 AGR-20 Falco rockets, matching the F-15E’s payload for Counter-UAS missions.
The U.S. Air Power’s twentieth Fighter Wing (FW) at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, has launched pictures of one in every of its F-16C/D Combating Falcons loaded with six seven-round LAU-131 A/A rocket pods on Triple Ejector Racks (TER), carrying APKWS II (Superior Precision Kill Weapon System). Whereas within the picture not all pods are loaded with rockets, the photographs present that the F-16 can now carry as much as 42 rockets.
Each the weapon and the service plane, the F-16, have been already utilized in counter-drone air-to-air roles in opposition to Houthi projectiles, though thus far they used smaller journal capability in comparison with these images. Actually, F-16s within the CENTCOM (Central Command) Space of Duty (AOR) have been seen carrying solely as much as two such pods on the TER.
As reported by The Aviationist in Might, an F-15E Strike Eagle from the 96th Check Wing’s fortieth Flight Check Squadron at Eglin AFB was seen carrying three LAU-131A/As on the left wing mounted on a TER. Then, by the top of the month, F-15Es have been proven within the CENTCOM AOR geared up with six pods, for a complete of 42 rockets, along with eight air-to-air missiles.
The F-16’s pictures have been taken on Jun. 10, 2025, primarily based on the VIRIN particulars, and later launched on the DVIDS community on Jul. 15. They present personnel of the twentieth Tools Upkeep Squadron Weapons Standardization Sections putting in the TERs on the center wing pylons, stations 3 and seven, in addition to extracting the rockets from the transport circumstances and loading them into the pods.
What the photographs present
The photographs launched present just one pod on the fitting wing’s TER loaded with the APKWS II rockets, whereas the others are empty. That pod too is carrying solely six rockets, as a substitute of its capability of seven rounds.
It’s not clear if all of the pods have been finally loaded with the weapons in the course of the take a look at, and if the plane later flew. Quite the opposite, the 96th TW’s F-15E seen in Might had all its six pods loaded, delivering the total meant 42-round capability.
Simply got here throughout this image of a Shaw Viper carrying 6x rocket pods. Solely a type of is visibly loaded with inert AGR-20s right here, however the loadout ought to verify the lengthy theorized and sure deliberate 42x APKWS configuration which matches the F-15E’s journal depth. pic.twitter.com/zhapMLCucu
— Abd (@blocksixtynine) July 14, 2025
The rockets within the pictures aren’t the usual APKWS II variant. Actually, one of many captions determine them because the AGR-20F Mounted Wing, Air Launched, Counter-Unmanned Plane Programs Ordnance (FALCO), a variant with upgraded software program to enhance the counter-UAS capabilities.
The brand new images recommend the hassle to have larger airborne counter-drone functionality within the Center East and the USAF perceiving these threats to persist, at the least within the close to future. Each the F-16s and the F-15E Strike Eagles will now be capable of make use of a deeper journal throughout operations within the CENTCOM AOR.
A caption described the AGR-20 as a “extremely correct, low-cost choice to counter small aerial threats like one-way assault drones,” referring to its position in opposition to the Houthis.
AGR-20 APKWS II
The AGR-20 APKWS II is a conversion of the Hydra 70 unguided rockets, with a laser steerage package added to the baseline weapon. The system sits between the 10-pound high-explosive warhead on the entrance of the rocket and the Mk66 Mod 4 rocket motor on the rear, turning it right into a precision-guided munition (PGM).
Particularly, the steerage part contains wing-mounted laser seeker assortment optics on the 4 foldable wings, providing a large area of view, and enabling it to have interaction each transferring and stationary targets. The U.S. DoD (Division of Protection) designated the usual APKWS II the AGR-20, and the FALCO variant the AGR-20F.
The low-cost sensible munition is a less expensive and efficient various to have interaction uneven one-way assault drones, which price between $15,000-$20,000, as a substitute of utilizing the bigger and costlier AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM (Superior Medium-Vary Air-to-Air Missile). Actually, an AIM-9X prices about $450,000 and an AIM-120 greater than $1 million, whereas a single APKWS II rocket is estimated to have a worth level of round $30,000.
APKWS’s developer BAE Programs unveiled on the Sea Air Area 2025 convention in Apr. 2025 a brand new Superior Precision Package (APK), consisting of an IR (InfraRed) seeker along with the prevailing laser steerage, making the APKWS a dual-mode weapon. The addition of an IR seeker spares pilots the necessity for steady lasing of aerial targets just like the Houthis’ low-cost kamikaze drones, permitting swiftly transferring on to different threats.
The APK improve by BAE Programs served because the “subsequent stage” within the rocket system’s evolution. It’s unclear if the service has already awarded a contract for the brand new APK and if testing is in progress.
F-16s and AGR-20
The Aviationist reported in Feb. 2025 that U.S. Air Power F-16s deployed to the CENTCOM (Central Command) AOR (Space of Duty) have been using the APKWS II within the air-to-air position in opposition to Houthi projectiles over the Pink Sea since 2024. The service beforehand introduced in 2019 that the APKWS II was examined within the air-to-air position, and the weapon is now in operational use in opposition to the Houthis.
Whereas BAE Programs beforehand mentioned no modifications are required to the rocket, firing platform or fireplace management system, the one recognized completely different requirement is for the rocket to be carried by the F-15 or F-16 in an extended variant of the LAU-131/A 7-round rocket launcher usually employed by the U.S. Air Power, referred to as the LAU-131 A/A (the Navy makes use of the AGR-20 with the same LAU-68 F/A).
Thus far, USAF F-16s within the CENTCOM AOR have been seen carrying as much as two 7-shot LAU-131 A/A pods on the triple ejector rack. With each the center wing pylons carrying three LAU-131 A/As on TERs, the F-16s is ready to make use of a deeper journal of 42 rounds, together with the usual loadout of two AIM-120s, two AIM-9s and a Sniper pod.
“The F-16’s capacity to hold six AGR-20 pods in a single loadout makes it one of the vital cost-effective multirole platforms within the U.S. Air Power stock,” mentioned one caption. One other caption mentioned the F-16 affords “distinctive attain and responsiveness, making it a vital asset for each U.S. and allied air forces particularly when using the AGR-20F platform.”
Ukrainian Navy’s VAMPIRE anti-drone system utilizing low-cost laser-guided APKWS rockets in opposition to Russian Shahed-136 kamikaze UAVs in Odesa area.
The U.S. Air Power already employs APKWS on F-16s to cheaply counter Houthi drones and plans so as to add a passive IR seeker to create a… pic.twitter.com/iDx01Yy2z0
— Conflict Report (@clashreport) February 16, 2025
The light-weight single-engine plane is the spine of the service’s air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. Their criticality can be mirrored within the 51st FW at Osan Air Base, South Korea, receiving F-16s Block 50 airframes with the PoBIT (Put up-Block Integration Workforce) upgrades, that includes new radar, computer systems and digital warfare techniques, to enrich its Block 40 airframes.
