On Wednesday, April 8, 2026, the British company BAE Systems announced successful tests of launchers for WGU-59/B APKWS II (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) laser-guidance modules, integrated with the Eurofighter Typhoon multirole aircraft in the role of low-cost counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) operations.
Seven-tube LAU-131A/A pods with WGU-59/B APKWS II are visible on underwing weapons stations No. 3 and 4, on the right and left wings respectively / Photo: BAE Systems
The trials were conducted in March of this year at the request of the Royal Air Force (RAF), which operates the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4. The WGU-59/B APKWS II kits are produced by the U.S. subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. Integration work was announced in September 2025.
BAE Systems carried out the trials at its test and development center in Warton, Lancashire, using an RAF Typhoon test and evaluation aircraft to successfully strike a ground target at a British military range.
Richard Hamilton, Managing Director of the Air Sector at BAE Systems Air, said:
“This activity, supported by RAF, will provide valuable insights into how a low-cost precision weapon could be integrated in the aircraft, particularly counter UAS weapons, where affordable interception options are needed. It also forms part of a range of capability enhancements planned for Typhoon to increase the aircraft’s potency in current and future combat air operations.”
The next planned stage of testing will involve trials against aerial targets.
In British armed service, the WGU-59/B APKWS II is being introduced on the latest AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, alongside AGM-114R2 Hellfire anti-tank guided missiles and the latest AGM-179 JAGM (Joint Air-to-Ground Missile).
WGU-59/B APKWS II
BAE Systems Inc. has been producing the kits for more than 13 years at its facilities in Hudson, New Hampshire, and Austin, Texas (BAE Systems to Continue Production of APKWS II Laser-Guidance Kits).
The core element of the WGU-59/B APKWS II module is the DASALS (Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker) guidance system, which is installed between the Mk 152 warhead with Mk 435 fuze and the Mk 66 Mod 4 rocket motor and fuel section. This allows 70 mm Hydra 70 unguided rockets to be converted into semi-active laser-guided anti-armor rockets.
So far, APKWS II has been integrated with the AV-8B, OV-10, F-16C/D, A-10, A-29, F/A-18, and CN-235 aircraft, as well as the UH-1Y, AH-1W/Z, AH-64, Tiger, MH-60R/S, Bell 407GT, and AH-6i helicopters. It is launched from LAU-131A/A, LAU-68F/A, LAU-68D/A, and LAU-61G/A DRL (Digital Rocket Launcher) pods. Integration work is also underway for the KC-130J Harvest Hawk module, V-22 tiltrotor aircraft, MQ-8C uncrewed helicopters, and Strix uncrewed aerial vehicles. The system is also fired from land vehicles, for example the ACV-30, as well as via the AGR-20A variant for the Arnold Defense Fletcher Land-LGR4 launcher.
On August 2, 2021, BAE Systems unveiled an improved APKWS II variant featuring a 30% increase in range and strike precision. This meant that when fired from helicopters, range increased from 5 to 6.5 km, and from aircraft, from 11 to 14.3 km. Serial production began in the third quarter of 2021. The first recipient was the U.S. armed forces.
To date, the kits have been exported to the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Australia, the Philippines, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco. In recent years, the Czech Republic, Egypt, and Slovakia have received approval to purchase them, although Slovakia will probably not proceed with the acquisition, and Mexico has also dropped its plans. Poland will also join the list of users, having received approval to purchase 7,650 modules for Apache helicopters, and the system will also be one of the effectors of the San counter-drone system. Saudi Arabia and Nigeria will also receive them, while Ukraine has obtained the modules as military aid for use with L3Harris VAMPIRE (Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment) systems.
Last year, the munition was also tested from the TRV-150 multirotor uncrewed aerial system.
We've successfully completed test firing of a low-cost precision weapon equipped with an APKWS® laser guidance kit launched from a @eurofighter Typhoon.
The trial is a major step in delivering a highly effective, affordable solution to counter uncrewed aircraft systems (C-UAS)… pic.twitter.com/uywr03pnLQ
— BAE Systems (@BAESystemsplc) April 8, 2026
