RAF engineers attach laser designators to Vietnam-era dumb rockets in cost saving measure to take out Iranian drones

Published: 22:00, 16 May 2026 | Updated: 22:19, 16 May 2026 A breakthrough RAF guidance system has slashed the cost of intercepting Russian and Iranian drones by 90 per cent. Previously, Western air forces and Middle Eastern allies have depleted their stocks of expensive air defence missiles to take out primitive Shahed drones. The issue proved pivotal in the recent US-Iran conflict when Gulf states ran out of Patriot missile systems provided by the United States. The RAF was also forced to use high end air-to-air missiles to take out Iranian warheads targeting UK bases and Gulf allies. Now, in a major boost for UK security, the RAF has solved the problem by attaching laser targeting designators to Vietnam-era dumb rockets. The gadgets, called the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), allow the Hydra 70 unguided rockets to seek and destroy Shaheds – saving Patriots for more sophisticated threats. The timing is critical as Britain is to lead a multinational force to secure the Strait of Hormuz after any US-Iran peace deal. RAF Typhoons will be deployed to protect commercial shipping from drones. Ukrainian officials in Kyiv study a Geran, a Russian copy of the Shahed drone. Shahed drones are primitive yet highly effectively, particularly when launched in swarms to overwhelm defence systems. RAF Typhoons are expected to patrol the Strait of Hormuz in the aftermath of any lasting peace deal between the United States and Iran. Last night, the RAF’s Deputy Director Operations, Air Commodore Donal McGurk said: ‘We welcome the speed of development and meticulous testing behind the deployment of these missiles for use on our Typhoons. ‘They [the APKWS] are a valuable addition to the air defence package we are already employing with agility across the Middle East.’ While Minister for Defence Readiness Luke Pollard added: ‘Our Typhoon fleet is the backbone of UK and NATO air defence, with the RAF protecting Europe’s eastern flank from Russian drone incursions and defending our partners across the Middle East.’ Britain’s failure to send a Royal Navy warship to the conflict zone, and the attack on the RAF’s base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus by Iranian proxies proved hugely embarrassing for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Belatedly, the destroyer HMS Dragon was rushed to the warzone to a chorus of mockery from US President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over her late arrival. Air chiefs hope the breakthrough combination of decades-old rocket and laser targeting designators will prove effective on other platforms besides Typhoon. That’s because the fast jet was designed for faster flying at higher altitudes, rather than low-level patrolling to intercept Shaheds. Therefore using Typhoons to combat Shaheds is considered costly from flying hours and maintenance perspectives. The RAF is working with defence companies to develop uncrewed systems to perform the same task. In trials the Malloy T-150 has proven capable of firing Hydra 70s. The electric powered copter was originally designed for carrying heavy loads to and from the battlefield. APKWS was used in combat for the first time by the RAF to defend Qatari airspace from Iranian drones. Its introduction in the warzone followed tests at the Ministry of Defence’s Aberforth range in west Wales. Iranian-designed Shaheds fly so slowly and noisily that the drones have been christened ‘flying lawnmowers’. Shaheds cost £20,000 to produce, whereas the advanced defence missile systems deployed by NATO in eastern Europe and by Gulf states can cost £200,000. The economic imbalance of attack versus defence has perplexed Western air planners. They hope APKWS proves the answer to their problems. Last night a defence source said: ‘The exact costs are commercially sensitive, but we can say these are a fraction of the cost of alternative air-to-air missiles which are better used against cruise missiles or more challenging targets. ‘This also increases the number of missiles each Typhoon can carry, significantly enhancing how many targets a single aircraft can engage.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.