BAE Systems test fires C-UAS rockets from Typhoon

A Eurofighter Typhoon test aircraft seen carrying a pair of APKWS rocket pods during C-UAS trials in March 2026. (BAE Systems)

BAE Systems has test fired laser-guided rockets from the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft for the counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) role, the company announced on 8 April 2026.

The test, which is part of a campaign being supported by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), took place in March and saw a Typhoon fire the BAE Systems Inc. AGR-20A Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) 70 mm guided rocket.

“The company conducted the trial from its flight test development centre in Warton, Lancashire, using a Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon test and evaluation aircraft to launch a successful strike on a ground-based target at a UK military testing range,” BAE Systems said.

As noted in the announcement, this activity will inform how a low-cost precision weapon could be integrated onto the aircraft, particularly C-UAS weapons, where affordable interception options are needed. “It also forms part of a range of capability enhancements planned for the Typhoon to increase the aircraft's potency in current and future combat air operations,” the company said, adding the recent trial on the Typhoon paves the way for the next stage of tests on air-to-air targets.

News of the successful firing came seven months after BAE Systems said at the DSEI defence exhibition in London in September 2025 that it was assessing a range of weapon systems that could be carried by the Typhoon for the C-UAS role, including the APKWS.