guided rocketcombat-provensolid data
APKWS II
AGR-20, Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II, Hydra 70 laser-guided rocket
Laser-guidance kit that turns an unguided 70 mm Hydra rocket into a precision munition, now also used to shoot down drones from fighters and ground launchers.
$35,000 per shotRun it in the Exchange Ratio
| Maker | BAE Systems |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Built | Hudson, New Hampshire and Austin, Texas, USA |
| First combat | 2012, Afghanistan |
| Length | 1.9 m |
| Span | 0.24 m |
| Diameter | 0.07 m |
| Weight | 14.8 kg |
| Top speed | 3,600 km/h |
| Max range | 11 km |
| Guidance | Semi-active laser seeker (DASALS optics in the four guidance wings, 40 degree field of regard); target lit by an aircraft, ground or partner laser designator |
Dimensions and weight are for the all-up round; NAVAIR gives 1,000 m/s max speed (Air and Space Forces Magazine says subsonic) and effective range of 1.1 to 5 km from helicopters and 2 to 11 km from fixed-wing jets, while BAE says the seeker can lock on from over 6 km. US F-16s first used it air-to-air against Houthi drones in 2024, and ground-launched rounds from L3Harris VAMPIRE have downed Shaheds in Ukraine. TWZ puts the guidance section at about 15,000 USD, plus a few thousand for motor and warhead.
Sources (13)
- NAVAIR: APKWS product page (blocked to direct fetch; values read from search index) (length_m)
- Designation-Systems: BAE AGR-19/20/21 APKWS II (weight_kg)
- Designation-Systems: BAE AGR-19/20/21 APKWS II (length_m)
- Designation-Systems: BAE AGR-19/20/21 APKWS II (1,000 m/s) (speed_kmh_max)
- NAVAIR: APKWS product page (9.55 in wingspan) (span_m)
- NAVAIR: APKWS product page (1.1 to 5 km rotary, 2 to 11 km fixed wing) (range_km)
- Air and Space Forces Magazine: AGR-20 APKWS II (subsonic, 1.2 to 6.8 miles) (notes)
- BAE Systems: APKWS laser-guided rocket (guidance_or_cueing)
- BAE Systems: APKWS laser-guided rocket (built_where)
- Shephard: US Marine Corps confirm APKWS use in Afghanistan (first_combat)
- Army Technology: APKWS (deployed to Afghanistan 2012) (first_combat)
- TWZ: F-16s have been using laser-guided rockets to shoot down Houthi drones (29 Jan 2025) (notes)
- Defense Express: VAMPIRE with APKWS shooting down Shaheds in Ukraine (notes)
