Ukraine’s VAMPIRE Anti-Drone System Shoots Down Russian Kh-69 Cruise Missile with Low-Cost APKWS Rocket

Ukraine’s VAMPIRE counter-UAS kit — using the APKWS laser-guided 70mm rocket as its interceptor — struck and destroyed a low-flying Russian Kh-69 cruise missile in flight. Ukrainian operators appear to have used the small, inexpensive guided rocket to sever the cruise missile’s flight path and detonate it before it could reach its target, marking the first publicly confirmed kill of a Kh-69 by this type of system.

The engagement took place overnight on October 10 in the area of responsibility of the Air Command “East.” According to reports, the Ukrainian Air Force Command later published footage of the interception, showing the precise moment the laser-guided APKWS struck the missile midair — a rare visual confirmation of such a kill.

Why this matters is obvious even before you look at the footage: the APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) is a converted Hydra-70 rocket fitted with a semi-active laser seeker. Each round costs on the order of tens of thousands of dollars — widely reported in the $20–25K range — while a modern air-launched cruise missile such as the Kh-69 is a multi-million-dollar weapon. That math turns this engagement into a clear cost-per-kill win for Ukraine’s layered air defenses.

What VAMPIRE, APKWS and the Kh-69 Bring to the Fight

VAMPIRE is a compact, vehicle- or boat-mounted counter-UAS and precision-strike kit developed by L3Harris. It pairs an EO/IR sensor turret and radar with a four-tube launcher that can fire APKWS rockets (or other guided 70mm munitions). Designed to be rapidly installed on pickup trucks, small craft or trailers, the system gives front-line units an organic sensor-to-shooter loop against drones and small, low-altitude threats.

APKWS converts common 2.75-inch rockets into laser-guided weapons using mid-body guidance (the WGU-59/B kit) and a distributed aperture seeker. It was built to give aircraft and light platforms a low-collateral, precise weapon for small targets and has been adapted to ground and maritime launchers (including the Fletcher launcher and VAMPIRE) to counter UAS and other low-altitude threats. Its small warhead and precision make it especially useful when collateral damage and cost control are priorities.

The Kh-69 is Russia’s newer, low-observable, air-launched cruise missile intended for stand-off strikes. It’s designed to fly at low altitude and use guidance suites (inertial/GNSS, possible electro-optical terminal seekers) to reduce detectability and defeat some traditional radar-based air defenses. It’s not a ballistic missile; it’s a subsonic cruise weapon that presents a challenging intercept geometry when hugging terrain.

What Happened — and Why a Rocket Usually Meant for Drones Worked

From open reporting and the released clips, operators appear to have lasered the missile or its plume/airframe and fired an APKWS from a VAMPIRE mount. APKWS homes on laser energy reflected from the target and guides by mid-body canards to strike or pass close enough for its warhead to fragment the target. Against a low-flying cruise missile, two technical factors helped the improvised intercept succeed:

• Visual/IR acquisition and laser designation: low altitude and the missile’s signature (plume or contrast) make it possible for EO/IR sensors to detect and for an operator to paint a terminal aiming point.

• Short engagement geometry: cruise missiles flying low and straight present predictable short-range intercept solutions where a guided rocket’s terminal maneuvering and high shot density can be effective.

That combination — a laser-seeker rocket, a responsive launcher, and a human/EO laser designator — is what turned a counter-drone weapon into a short-range surface-to-air solution.

Is This Unprecedented? Historical Precedents and Tests

This is not an entirely new idea. In December 2019, U.S. Air Force test events demonstrated using APKWS-type rockets (and related laser rockets) to engage drone targets representing cruise missiles, exploring low-cost alternatives to expensive air-to-air missiles for specific threat sets. More recently, Ukraine has used VAMPIRE/APKWS packages operationally against drones and small cruise missiles; for example, footage and reports from January 2025 documented a VAMPIRE-mounted APKWS intercept of a Kh-59 variant over the Black Sea. The current Kh-69 kill is notable because the Kh-69 is a newer, stealth-optimized missile, and this is the first confirmed public report of that particular missile being destroyed by the VAMPIRE/APKWS pairing.

Broader Implications — Tactics, Logistics, and Strategy

Cost-Efficiency. One APKWS at ~$20–25K versus a single Kh-69 at $1–3M (estimates vary by variant and production batch) is a decisive microeconomic advantage: it allows defenders to spend scarce, expensive interceptors more selectively and rely on cheaper effects where appropriate. Media and analysts have already framed such intercepts as evidence that more affordable countermeasures can blunt high-cost attacks.

Tactical Adaptation. VAMPIRE turns trucks and small craft into mobile, sensor-to-shooter nodes — a flexibility multiplier in dispersed warfare. Using APKWS in a surface-to-air role forces attackers to account for new, unexpected shot geometries and increases the risk envelope for low-altitude cruise missiles. That could push adversaries to change flight profiles, employ decoys, or reserve such missiles for higher-value, better-protected strikes.

Limits and Caveats. This is not a silver bullet. APKWS has limited range (a few kilometers in practical surface launches), a small warhead optimized for lightweight targets, and depends on a laser designator — so bad weather, smoke, daylight/visibility conditions, or counter-lasing measures can reduce effectiveness. Stocks of APKWS and reload logistics also matter: sustained missile volleys could outpace available guided rockets. Finally, while the Kh-69 is low-observable, it’s not invisible; this intercept exploited an engagement window that will not always present itself.

Operational Ripple Effects. If cheap guided rockets become a standard part of layered air defenses, we can expect:

• Increased procurement and production of APKWS or similar guided-rocket kits.

• More investment in mobile sensor-to-shooter systems (VAMPIRE-class) that can be widely distributed.

• Countermeasures from missile designers (e.g., faster terminal maneuvers, decoys, infrared suppression, sea/skimming profiles that complicate laser designation).

A guided 70mm rocket bringing down a modern cruise missile is a stark demonstration of adaptation: inexpensive weapons, creatively employed, can blunt high-cost threats and reshape tactical thinking. The VAMPIRE/APKWS combination doesn’t replace dedicated air-defense networks, but it adds a resilient, low-cost layer that complicates an attacker’s calculus. For defenders with constrained stocks and budgets, that kind of asymmetric economics — trading tens of thousands to save millions and, more importantly, protect lives and infrastructure — is a meaningful battlefield advantage.