Derivatives of the AGR-20F FALCO air-to-air missile are being rapidly prototyped to fulfill the urgent low-cost engagement requirement for one-way attack drone swarms numbered in the hundreds.
A joint urgent requirement identified in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility has greenlit BAE Systems’ new infrared-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) variant for rapid prototyping and production for initial fielding no later than this fall, according to documents published by the U.S. Air Force this week.
The documents identify the Group 3 UAS threat—particularly in the Middle East—as severe without significant enhancements to the current counter-UAS network. Without a rapidly fielded air-to-air solution, U.S. forces on the ground and at sea would face a “critical vulnerability” in the region, according to the published documents.
The missiles are planned to be integrated on the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 fleet and the U.S. Navy’s MH-60 fleet with a requirement to achieve an initial fielding capability within 24 months of the original August 2024 JUON statement.
The Joint Urgent Operational Need (JUON), designated CC-0588, was issued in August 2024 by U.S. Central Command in response to “evolving adversary threats” U.S. forces face against drones in the Middle East, particularly threats from Iran and its proxy groups as seen in the April 2024 drone attacks on Israel that resulted in the largest counter-UAS engagement in history at the time.
The April 2024 record was later surpassed in June 2025 with U.S. forces across thousands of square miles engaging 1,200 one-way attack drones over the span of two weeks. During the June 2025 war, U.S. fighters expended hundreds of air-to-air missiles engaging inbound drones, and in some cases engaged drones with gun systems. Support from orbiting U.S. Space Force assets assisted in disrupting drone flights as well.
The new missile effort, designed to mitigate the cost-capability and payload curves, centers on an “Air-to-Air Dual Mode” variant of the AGR-20F FALCO rocket, a version of BAE Systems’ APKWS rocket that has already seen operational use as a counter-UAS missile. The upgraded configuration adds a nose-mounted long-wave infrared (LWIR) seeker and a mid-body warhead equipped with a dual safe proximity fuse. The new seeker enables a handoff from laser designation to infrared homing, reducing the time an aircrew must maintain laser illumination. The reduced lasing time enables faster engagements against maneuvering or massed unmanned aircraft. The smaller diameter enables fighters to carry a dozen or more missiles per sortie.
Changes to the baseline Fixed Wing, Air Launched, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ordnance (FALCO) APKWS rocket aim to deliver a “lower-cost system in large numbers to defeat swarms (potentially numbering in the hundreds) of lower-cost Group 3 UAS”, according to the documents.
BAE Systems was selected as the top solution among 43 respondents to an Air Force Request for Information issued in March 2025. The company’s work on developing counter-UAS solutions from its APKWS weapon platform helped U.S. forces defend commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait in 2023 and 2024.
The company will develop, mature, and deliver upgraded components to support 300 prototype missiles under the contract. 100 missiles are slated for integration and testing events and 200 will serve as operational leave-behinds to facilitate operational evaluation and contingency use in the Middle East.
