U.S. Military Using Drones As Rocket Launchers And Helicopter Escorts

BusinessAerospace & DefenseU.S. Military Using Drones As Rocket Launchers And Helicopter EscortsByZita Ballinger Fletcher,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zita Ballinger Fletcher is a defense technology reporterFollow AuthorJun 05, 2026, 03:58pm EDTA US Army AH-64D Apache helicopter fires missiles during military exercises of Poland and NATO allied countries in Poland in September 2025. The Army recently fired rockets used on Apaches from a heavy-lift cargo drone, significantly expanding the flexibility of U.S. military firepower. (Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP) (Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesThe U.S. military has expanded the capabilities of attack helicopters by using drones to launch precision-guided rockets and accompany helicopters as loitering munitions. The close integration now occurring between drones and attack helicopters has opened a new chapter in warfare and marks a milestone in the widening the range of U.S. military firepower. Last month, the U.S. Army mounted a three-shot rocket launcher called the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) onto a TRV 150 drone and successfully fired it during a test at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Combining these two systems was an unprecedented move given their previously dissimilar uses. Drones Firing Triple Rocket PodsA TRV-150 carrying a triple 70 mm rocket launcher flies during a recent test at Fort Rucker, Ala. The drone successfully fired precision-guided rockets used by attack helicopters and fighter planes.U.S. ArmyThe APKWS, manufactured by BAE Systems FalconWorks, is a laser-guided rocket system fielded by many elite attack helicopters, including the UH-60 Black Hawk, the AH-1Z Viper, and the MH-60R Seahawk. It is also used on fighter aircraft, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the F-18 Hornet. The TRV 150 drone made by Survice Engineering is a vertical takeoff and landing, or VTOL, drone used for resupply. The m...