NEVADA — May 12, 2026 : General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and the United States Air Force have successfully completed a series of flight tests integrating the AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) onto the MQ-9A Reaper remotely piloted aircraft during trials conducted at the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR).
The tests demonstrated the MQ-9A’s ability to engage both aerial and ground targets using laser-guided 70 mm rockets launched from a specialized LAU-131 A/A rocket pod. According to GA-ASI, multiple firing profiles and engagement scenarios were conducted during the evaluation, with all launches performed successfully by MQ-9A crews. Released imagery from the trials showed the aircraft equipped with inert AGR-20 APKWS rockets mounted inside the extended seven-shot launcher pod.
The integration effort is part of an expanding U.S. military focus on developing lower-cost and persistent airborne solutions for Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) missions, particularly against one-way attack drones and Group 3 unmanned aerial systems increasingly encountered in operational theaters across the Middle East and Red Sea region. GA-ASI stated that the project moved rapidly from initial planning to live flight testing in response to urgent operational adaptation requirements identified by U.S. Central Command.
“We recognize the value that a system like APKWS brings to the MQ-9 aircraft as a tool to counter one-way attack drones,” said David R. Alexander, president of GA-ASI. “APKWS can increase the number of weapons the MQ-9A is able to carry, while also enabling the aircraft to employ lower-cost precision-guided weapons.”
MQ-9A Reaper Expands Counter-Drone Role
The MQ-9A Reaper is primarily used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike operations. The aircraft features six external hardpoints and a payload capacity of approximately 3,850 pounds. When equipped with LAU-131 A/A launcher pods carrying seven APKWS rockets each, the aircraft could potentially carry up to 42 guided rockets, significantly increasing available ammunition capacity for sustained drone defense missions.
The aircraft’s long endurance remains one of its primary operational advantages. The MQ-9A can remain airborne for more than 27 hours without aerial refueling, operate at altitudes up to 50,000 feet, and reach speeds of approximately 240 knots true airspeed.
By comparison, manned fighter aircraft commonly assigned to counter-drone combat air patrols — including the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15E Strike Eagle, and A-10C Thunderbolt II — require significantly higher operating costs and more extensive aerial refueling support to maintain prolonged patrol operations.
Operating costs for the MQ-9A are estimated between $3,000 and $4,000 per flight hour, compared with approximately $20,000 to $30,000 per hour for fighter aircraft. The use of the MQ-9A in the C-UAS role is intended to reduce operational costs while freeing crewed fighter platforms for higher-priority missions in contested airspace environments.
A recognized limitation of the MQ-9A remains its lower cruise speed of roughly 200 knots, which reduces response time against distant or fast-moving aerial threats compared with supersonic fighters. However, its endurance and larger available ammunition capacity are considered advantageous for defending against drone swarm attacks and prolonged saturation strike operations.
APKWS II Provides Lower-Cost Precision Capability
The APKWS II system, produced by BAE Systems, converts standard Hydra 70 unguided rockets into precision-guided munitions through the insertion of a laser guidance section between the Mk66 Mod 4 rocket motor and the rocket’s 10-pound high-explosive warhead.
The guidance section contains four foldable wings equipped with Distributed Aperture Semi-Active Laser Seeker optics, allowing the rocket to track moving or stationary laser-designated targets without requiring major modifications to the original rocket body, launcher, or aircraft fire-control system.
The APKWS guidance kit is estimated to cost approximately $15,000, with the complete rocket significantly less expensive than conventional air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder, which cost hundreds of thousands to more than one million dollars per round.
The integration is intended to address the growing “cost-per-kill” imbalance faced by modern militaries using expensive interceptor missiles against low-cost drones. The larger magazine capacity provided by APKWS-equipped launcher pods is also viewed as critical for countering swarm attacks and multi-directional drone assaults increasingly observed in recent conflicts.
The recent MQ-9A tests follow earlier demonstrations conducted by GA-ASI in 2025 using the MQ-1C Gray Eagle STOL variant, which also successfully employed APKWS rockets against aerial drone targets during C-UAS flight trials.
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