By carrying six LAU-131 A/A rocket pods, the F-16 will be capable to carry as much as 42 AGR-20 Falco rockets, matching the F-15E’s payload for Counter-UAS missions.
The U.S. Air Power’s twentieth Fighter Wing (FW) at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, has launched pictures of certainly one of its F-16C/D Preventing Falcons loaded with six seven-round LAU-131 A/A rocket pods on Triple Ejector Racks (TER), carrying APKWS II (Superior Precision Kill Weapon System). Whereas within the picture not all pods are loaded with rockets, the pictures present that the F-16 can now carry as much as 42 rockets.
Each the weapon and the service plane, the F-16, had been already utilized in counter-drone air-to-air roles towards Houthi projectiles, though to this point they used smaller journal capability in comparison with these photographs. The truth is, F-16s within the CENTCOM (Central Command) Space of Duty (AOR) have been seen carrying solely as much as two such pods on the TER.
As reported by The Aviationist in Might, an F-15E Strike Eagle from the 96th Check Wing’s fortieth Flight Check Squadron at Eglin AFB was seen carrying three LAU-131A/As on the left wing mounted on a TER. Then, by the top of the month, F-15Es had been proven within the CENTCOM AOR outfitted with six pods, for a complete of 42 rockets, along with eight air-to-air missiles.
The F-16’s pictures had been taken on Jun. 10, 2025, based mostly on the VIRIN particulars, and later launched on the DVIDS community on Jul. 15. They present personnel of the twentieth Tools Upkeep Squadron Weapons Standardization Sections putting in the TERs on the center wing pylons, stations 3 and seven, in addition to extracting the rockets from the transport circumstances and loading them into the pods.
What the pictures present
The pictures launched present just one pod on the precise wing’s TER loaded with the APKWS II rockets, whereas the others are empty. That pod too is carrying solely six rockets, as a substitute of its capability of seven rounds.
It isn’t clear if all of the pods had been ultimately loaded with the weapons throughout the check, and if the plane later flew. Quite the opposite, the 96th TW’s F-15E seen in Might had all its six pods loaded, delivering the complete supposed 42-round capability.
Simply got here throughout this image of a Shaw Viper carrying 6x rocket pods. Solely a kind of is visibly loaded with inert AGR-20s right here, however the loadout ought to verify the lengthy theorized and certain deliberate 42x APKWS configuration which matches the F-15E’s journal depth. pic.twitter.com/zhapMLCucu
— Abd (@blocksixtynine) July 14, 2025
The rockets within the pictures will not be the usual APKWS II variant. The truth is, one of many captions establish them because the AGR-20F Fastened Wing, Air Launched, Counter-Unmanned Plane Methods Ordnance (FALCO), a variant with upgraded software program to enhance the counter-UAS capabilities.
The brand new photographs counsel the trouble to have larger airborne counter-drone functionality within the Center East and the USAF perceiving these threats to persist, a minimum of within the close to future. Each the F-16s and the F-15E Strike Eagles will now be capable to make use of a deeper journal throughout operations within the CENTCOM AOR.
A caption described the AGR-20 as a “extremely correct, low-cost choice to counter small aerial threats like one-way assault drones,” referring to its function towards the Houthis.
AGR-20 APKWS II
The AGR-20 APKWS II is a conversion of the Hydra 70 unguided rockets, with a laser steering package added to the baseline weapon. The system sits between the 10-pound high-explosive warhead on the entrance of the rocket and the Mk66 Mod 4 rocket motor on the rear, turning it right into a precision-guided munition (PGM).
Particularly, the steering part consists of wing-mounted laser seeker assortment optics on the 4 foldable wings, providing a large subject of view, and enabling it to have interaction each shifting and stationary targets. The U.S. DoD (Division of Protection) designated the usual APKWS II the AGR-20, and the FALCO variant the AGR-20F.
The low-cost sensible munition is a less expensive and efficient different to have interaction uneven one-way assault drones, which price between $15,000-$20,000, as a substitute of utilizing the bigger and costlier AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM (Superior Medium-Vary Air-to-Air Missile). The truth is, an AIM-9X prices about $450,000 and an AIM-120 greater than $1 million, whereas a single APKWS II rocket is estimated to have a value level of round $30,000.
APKWS’s developer BAE Methods unveiled on the Sea Air House 2025 convention in Apr. 2025 a brand new Superior Precision Package (APK), consisting of an IR (InfraRed) seeker along with the present laser steering, making the APKWS a dual-mode weapon. The addition of an IR seeker spares pilots the necessity for steady lasing of aerial targets just like the Houthis’ low-cost kamikaze drones, permitting swiftly shifting on to different threats.
The APK improve by BAE Methods served because the “subsequent stage” within the rocket system’s evolution. It’s unclear if the service has already awarded a contract for the brand new APK and if testing is in progress.
F-16s and AGR-20
The Aviationist reported in Feb. 2025 that U.S. Air Power F-16s deployed to the CENTCOM (Central Command) AOR (Space of Duty) have been using the APKWS II within the air-to-air function towards Houthi projectiles over the Crimson Sea since 2024. The service beforehand introduced in 2019 that the APKWS II was examined within the air-to-air function, and the weapon is now in operational use towards the Houthis.
Whereas BAE Methods beforehand mentioned no modifications are required to the rocket, firing platform or hearth management system, the one identified completely different requirement is for the rocket to be carried by the F-15 or F-16 in an extended variant of the LAU-131/A 7-round rocket launcher usually employed by the U.S. Air Power, referred to as the LAU-131 A/A (the Navy makes use of the AGR-20 with the same LAU-68 F/A).
Thus far, USAF F-16s within the CENTCOM AOR have been seen carrying as much as two 7-shot LAU-131 A/A pods on the triple ejector rack. With each the center wing pylons carrying three LAU-131 A/As on TERs, the F-16s is ready to make use of a deeper journal of 42 rounds, together with the usual loadout of two AIM-120s, two AIM-9s and a Sniper pod.
“The F-16’s potential to hold six AGR-20 pods in a single loadout makes it one of the cost-effective multirole platforms within the U.S. Air Power stock,” mentioned one caption. One other caption mentioned the F-16 gives “distinctive attain and responsiveness, making it a vital asset for each U.S. and allied air forces particularly when using the AGR-20F platform.”
Ukrainian Navy’s VAMPIRE anti-drone system utilizing low-cost laser-guided APKWS rockets towards Russian Shahed-136 kamikaze UAVs in Odesa area.
The U.S. Air Power already employs APKWS on F-16s to cheaply counter Houthi drones and plans so as to add a passive IR seeker to create a… pic.twitter.com/iDx01Yy2z0
— Conflict Report (@clashreport) February 16, 2025
The light-weight single-engine plane is the spine of the service’s air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. Their criticality can also be mirrored within the 51st FW at Osan Air Base, South Korea, receiving F-16s Block 50 airframes with the PoBIT (Submit-Block Integration Group) upgrades, that includes new radar, computer systems and digital warfare programs, to enrich its Block 40 airframes.
