The U.S. diverted counter-drone capabilities away from Ukraine and to American forces in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed today during testimony on Capitol Hill. Exactly what systems were included is not clear, but laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rocket systems are at least part, if not the main focus of this diversion in materiel.
APKWS, which transforms unguided 70mm rockets into highly precise guided munitions, has been a comparatively inexpensive weapon that Ukraine has used to defend its skies against drones and low-flying cruise missiles. However, as we were the first to report, they have also been adapted to the air-to-air role, with U.S. Air Force F-16s taking down Houthi drones using the guided rockets, which drastically expands how many drone targets a single jet can engage without rearming. APKWS II rocket pods are now cleared for the heavy-hitting F-15E, as well, and they are already forward deployed with them to Jordan.
The contention over the distribution of these weapons comes as the possibility of an Israeli and/or U.S. attack on Iran mounts. Questions also linger about the supply of these air defense capabilities and the Pentagon’s ability to restock what has already been expended.
“Senator, as you know, the Middle East is and remains a very dynamic theater,” Hegseth explained during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday morning. “In the interest of putting America and Americans first, we’re going to surge counter UAS systems to our troops and our bases and our places first, if we think there’s a potential for a threat, and considering the environment there right now that has been and will continue to be a priority for us.”
In his testimony, Hegseth did not specifically address what type of weapons or the exact nature of the threat. However, he was answering a question about media reporting that “the Pentagon is or has diverted anti-drone technology intended for Ukraine to the US Air Force in the Middle East…”
The exchange begins at the 1 hour and 14 minute mark in the following video.
Hegseth’s testimony came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told ABC News that the U.S. would divert “20,000 missiles – anti-Shahed missiles” earmarked for Ukraine in an agreement with the Biden administration to the Middle East.
“Without the help of the United States, we will have more losses,” Zelensky told the network’s Martha Raddatz in Kyiv last week.
There are no traditional missiles available anywhere near that number, but APKWS is designed to be produced in large numbers and is specifically capable of countering Russian Shahed-136 long-range suicide drones.
Zelensky’s comments followed a Wall Street Journal exclusive that the Trump administration “is redirecting a key anti-drone technology earmarked for Ukraine to American forces, a move that reflects the Pentagon’s waning commitment to Kyiv’s defense.”
The Pentagon “quietly notified Congress last week that special fuzes for rockets that Ukraine uses to shoot down Russian drones are now being allocated to U.S. Air Force units in the Middle East,” the publication added, noting that the fuzes were designed for the APKWS rockets. What this is referring to are the specially-designed proximity fuzes that optimize the APKWS concept for counter-drone applications.
In an internal memo last month, Hegseth “authorized the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell, a Pentagon office that ensures commanders’ weapons needs are met, to provide the fuzes to the U.S. Air Force, even though they were initially bought for Ukraine,” WSJ explained. “The Pentagon told the Senate Armed Services Committee in the previously undisclosed message that the U.S. military’s need for the fuzes was a ‘Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue.'” Hegseth’s testimony on Wednesday sheds additional light on that story, which the Pentagon declined to comment on.
Hegseth’s explanation on Wednesday about the air defense munitions comes as reports are emerging on social media of evacuations and alerts being issued at U.S. facilities in the Middle East.
“The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East,” a U.S. defense official told The War Zone Wednesday afternoon. “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the CENTCOM AOR. CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time.”
As we reported yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump has been presented with a broad array of potential military options against Iran should ongoing nuclear negotiations with that country fail. Israel is already reportedly moving ever closer to at least being in a position to launch its own strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The direct and indirect blowback from any such operations against Iran could be immense.
Fears that U.S.-Iranian nuclear talks are on the verge of collapse have been steadily growing in the past week or so amid statements from both sides outlining potentially intractable positions. Iran’s ability to continue domestic enrichment of nuclear material that could be used to produce nuclear weapons has emerged as a key stumbling block to reaching a deal.
As was proven in the U.S. battle against the Houthi rebels of Yemen and Ukraine’s fight against Russia, the APKWS rockets would be a hugely valuable asset protecting against any Iranian or proxy drones and subsonic cruise missiles should the situation there devolve into open conflict.
Each APKWS II rocket consists of a laser guidance package inserted between a standard 70mm rocket motor and one of a variety of warhead options. Originally designed as an air-to-ground munition, APKWS II is cleared for use on Air Force F-16C/D Vipers and A-10 Warthogs, as well as U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18C/D Hornets on the fixed-wing side. The F-15E has recently been added to that list. The precision-guided rockets are also part of the arsenals available for Marine AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters, as well as U.S. Navy MH-60R/S Seahawks and U.S. Army AH-64D/E Apaches.
As an air-to-air weapon, however, it is limited to engaging non-reactionary, low-performance targets that fly along relatively steady courses. Still, the magazine depth they offer, combined with the lower unit cost of an APKWS II rocket compared to traditional air-to-air missiles, presents clear benefits. The latest variants of the AIM-120 cost around $1 million apiece, while current-generation AIM-9Xs each have a price tag around $450,000. The most expensive part of an APKWS II rocket is the guidance section, which costs between $15,000 and $20,000, with the rocket motor and warhead adding a few thousand dollars more to the total price point.
As noted previously in this story, we broke the news that U.S. Air Force F-16s used the rockets to down Houthi drones during operations in and around the Red Sea in the past year. Last month, we reported that a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle down-range in the Middle East was seen with an air-to-air loadout that includes six seven-shot 70mm rocket pods, as well as four AIM-9X and four AIM-120 missiles. This came a week after TWZ was the first to report on testing of the rockets as a new armament option for the F-15E. As we noted at that time, the exact loadout we’re now seeing on a deployed Strike Eagle turns the jet into a counter-drone and cruise missile ‘weapons truck’ with a whopping 50 engagement opportunities, not counting the internal gun.
APKWS rockets first appeared in Ukraine in May 2023, however, they were designed as a ground attack system.
A video circulating online at the time showed at least one American-supplied up-armored M1152A1 Humvee with an Arnold Defense LAND-LGR4 four-shot launcher firing what are said to be Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II rockets. You can see that system in the following video, but it’s worth noting this was not for counter drone applications.
More importantly, the U.S. has also supplied the VAMPIRE counter-drone system to Ukraine, which uses the laser-guided 70mm rockets with counter-drone fuzes as effectors fired from launchers mounted on Humvees. They began appearing in country in December 2023. This system has been used widely and has had great success, especially against the aforementioned Shahed-136 long-range kamikaze drones that have ravaged Ukraine for years now.
VAMPIRE and its APKWS rockets are also seen as more critical than ever to Ukraine, as far more expensive and treasured surface-to-air missiles are increasingly scarce. APKWS gives Ukraine another proven way to defend key target areas against lower-end, but still the most prolific long-range aerial threats they face — the Shaheds — without blowing through prized SAMs.
We don’t know if new VAMPIRE systems or other counter drone capabilities, including electronic warfare systems, were also diverted to the U.S. military in the Middle East, not just the rocket kits.
It is not publicly known how many counter-drone-capable APKWS rockets were used by the U.S. Air Force against the Houthis or how many were provided to Ukraine. Citing operational security concerns, the U.S. Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) declined to tell us how many were expended against the Houthis.
Because these are made up of rockets and a separate specialized guidance system, it is difficult to determine how many remain in U.S. stocks. The Pentagon did not immediately answer our question about the number provided to Ukraine or how many the U.S. still has. However, during his testimony on Wednesday, Hegseth hinted that the supply is a concern.
Asked if the U.S. has the “capability of resupplying or reinserting that technology into other places, including Ukraine,” the defense secretary said that remains unknown.
“We would have to review the capacity, but it’s one of the challenges of all the munitions that we’ve given to Ukraine over these last three years, is we’ve created some challenges in other places,” he said.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com