[TWZ] The A-10 could be a uniquely capable drone hunter and they already have the ability to use APKWS rockets to do it, but its career is set to end before it gets the chance.
We have just learned that one of the most successful adaptations of an existing weapon in recent memory — morphing laser-guided air-to-ground rockets into counter-drone weapons — can be accommodated on three USAF aircraft, not just two. First, the F-16 got the version of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System II (APKWS II) that takes 2.75 in. (70mm) Hydra rockets and turns them into drone and cruise missile busters, followed very recently by the F-15E Strike Eagle. Now we have learned that the A-10 Warthog has also received at least the ability to employ these weapons in the air-to-air role, although the type’s remaining service is now measured in months, not multiple years.
In the recently released budget request for 2026, the Pentagon documentation states that APKWSs featuring guidance sections with specialized Fixed-Wing Air-Launched Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems Ordnance (FALCO) software installed are cleared for use on the F-16, F-15E, and the A-10. The rockets use laser guidance and a proximity fuze to explode near subsonic, low-maneuverability targets like drones and cruise missiles. TWZ was first to report on the testing of this configuration of APKWS back in 2019. APKWSs were first used operationally as anti-air weapons in the surface-to-air role, with Ukraine receiving the VAMPIRE system that has proven to be highly successful.
Since then, APKWS II has entered operational U.S. service in the air-to-air role, and has become a standout in the Middle East, where F-16s swatted down Houthi drones with it at a fraction of the price of an air-to-air missile, the cheapest of which costs nearly half a million dollars. The anti-air APKWSs cost less than a tenth of that. In May, we learned the F-15E — the USAF’s most celebrated aerial drone hunter — could employ them, too. The rockets also dramatically expand the air-to-air magazine capacity of the aircraft they are mounted on (over six times the number of potential engagements in the F-15E’s case).
The A-10 as a drone hunter is an interesting prospect. The aircraft’s loiter time, slow and low-flying capabilities, and even its unique air-to-air dogfighting agility, could come in as a real benefit for taking out long-range one-way attack drones, especially the most prevalent propeller-driven type. Where the A-10 would be less effective is in rapidly taking out faster-flying drones and cruise missiles. This is due to its lower speed, with less ability to ‘run-down’ multiple targets in a short time period during incoming saturation raids. Still, AH-64 Apaches have become critical counter-drone weapons, providing screening for lower-performance, long-range one-way attack munitions, particularly in Israel. The U.S. Army is also expanding its use of the Apache in this role, and helicopters, including in Ukraine, are playing a larger role in counter-drone defense, in general. The A-10 has far superior speed capabilities over helicopters, so it does sit inside something of a sweet spot, performance-wise, for dealing with lower-end, long-range drones.
The A-10 also lacks a radar, which would make it harder for it to independently spot an incoming aerial target at distance, lock its targeting pod onto it, and successfully engage it. This could potentially be overcome with a podded radar system, at least to a degree. Leveraging datalinked target tracks from off-board platforms could also significantly offset this deficiency.
On the other hand, the A-10 can also carry a lot of rockets, and I mean a lot. Extra magazine depth would be beneficial during combat air patrols that have to confront a sustained drone onslaught. Above all else, the A-10 paired with FALCO APKWSs would be most effective at defending a certain installation or limited geographical areas, such as an island outpost or forward staging area, against long-range one-way attack drones and even some cruise missiles. The same weapons can also be used against surface targets, especially long-range unmanned surface vessels. These are roles the U.S. military will have no shortage of as it prepares for a fight in the Pacific.
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