RAF Typhoons deploying APKWS in Middle East

Above: Typhoons with APKWS.
Courtesy BAE Systems

Rapid procurement and testing work by the Ministry of Defence and industry partners BAE Systems and QinetiQ has enabled the system to move from testing to deployment on operations in less than two months.

March saw a successful test strike on a ground-based target and RAF Typhoon pilots from 41 Test and Evaluation Squadron conducted successful air-to-air firing in April, demonstrating the system’s ability to defend against drone attacks.

The system has now been deployed on operations in the Middle East with sorties flown by 9 Squadron RAF Typhoon fighter jets as part of the missions to defend British people, interests and partners from threats.

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP said: "This has been a superb effort working with industry to test and deploy this system in a matter of months, which will help the RAF shoot down many more drones at a much lower cost.

"Our Typhoon fleet is the backbone of UK and NATO air defence, with the RAF protecting European’s Eastern flank from Russian drone incursions and defending our partners across the Middle East."

The APKWS uses a laser targeting system which turns unguided missiles into low-cost precision weapons able to take down enemy drones and other threats. Developing low-cost systems provides a more effective and sustainable means of countering the increasing threat of drones to UK forces and partners.

Simon Barnes, Group Managing Director BAE Systems Air sector, said: "Our priority is to ensure the Royal Air Force and its allies have the advanced technologies they need today and into the future, to keep them ahead of evolving threats. This capability demonstrates Typhoon’s exceptional versatility and underlines its continued role as the backbone of combat air across Europe and the Middle East."

Steve Wadey, Group Chief Executive Officer, QinetiQ, said: "From engineering expertise to live trials, our teams are providing the fundamental support needed by our armed forces, to deliver the urgent capabilities that ensure the UK and its allies remain safe and warfighting ready."

UK aircraft continue to operate across the Middle East and are ready to defend British people, interest and partners from threats. Pilots and aircrew have surpassed 2,500 flying hours since the conflict in the region began, equivalent to over three months of continuous flying on defensive missions.

Air Commodore Donal McGurk, Air 11 Group Deputy Director Operations: "We welcome the speed of development and meticulous testing behind the deployment of these missile systems for use on our Typhoons. They are a valuable addition to the air defence package we are already employing with agility across the Middle East."

UK ground-based and helicopter-based air defence assets are also deployed at very high readiness to support Gulf partners, including the Sky Sabre system in Saudi Arabia, the Lightweight Multirole Missile in Bahrain and the Rapid Sentry and ORCUS systems in Kuwait.

Today’s news comes just weeks after the Ministry of Defence signed a multimillion-pound contract with to buy Skyhammer interceptor missiles for the UK Armed Forces designed to counter Shahed-style attack drones. In January, the Ministry of Defence committed over £650 million to upgrade the RAF’s Typhoon fighter jet fleet, securing over 1,500 jobs across the UK and ensuring the fleet will continue protecting British skies until at least the 2040s.

This Government is backing UK Armed Forces with the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War – hitting 2.6% of GDP from 2027.