Image source: topwar.ru
The British multinational company in the field of aerospace, weapons and information security, BAE Systems, showed footage of the test launch of the 70mm APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II) aircraft rocket from the Malloy TRV-150 heavy copter. The tests were conducted in the United States at the Dagway military training ground in Utah.
This high-precision rocket-propelled munition is capable of hitting targets both in the air and on the ground. A missile with a 5-7 kilogram warhead is guided by laser targeting. This is much easier and cheaper than infrared or radar guidance. But the main advantage of the APKWS rocket is its relative cheapness.
That is why these missiles are planned to be used to destroy unmanned aerial vehicles, the interception of which by more expensive missiles both from the ground and from the air is economically impractical. Tests of the Malloy TRV-150 UAV tandem and APKWS missiles in the United States were successful — not only stationary ground targets were hit, but also a target drone. Judging by the footage, the Malloy TRV-150 is also equipped with night guidance optics.
Image source: topwar.ru
Previously, APKWS missiles were used by fighter aircraft. In particular, the American F-16 is capable of carrying 42 such missiles. But there is a similar problem here. Flying an aircraft to intercept low-cost drones is very expensive in itself.
By equipping Malloy TRV-150 heavy drones with APKWS missiles, BAE Systems solved this problem. Using some cheap drones with cheap missiles to intercept other inexpensive UAVs can significantly reduce the cost of the entire event and scale the number of targets being hit.
— the British company said in a statement.
Image source: topwar.ru
Experts note that this development, and in fact the refinement or modernization carried out by BAE Systems, was probably the result of an analysis of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, in which the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, including low-cost strike aircraft, has become widespread. It is very expensive to shoot them down with air defense systems. Especially when it comes to the RAS-3 missile defense systems for the American Patriot air defense systems, for which each anti-aircraft missile costs 3.5-5 million dollars.
Now, if and when Kiev learns about the new product from BAE Systems, it's probably worth waiting for Zelensky's urgent call to British Prime Minister Starmer with a request to deliver Malloy TRV-150 UAVs with APKWS missiles to Ukraine as soon as possible and as many "very good and so necessary" UAVs. It's better for free.
