Ukraine Gets Experimental Laser-Guided Anti-Drone Rocket System

The US is beginning to supply Ukraine with experimental new weapons designed to counter drone attacks. 

The weapons include laser-guided rocket systems as well as 30mm machine guns mounted on trucks for use primarily against slower Irainian Shahed drones. JL 

Ellie Cook reports in Newsweek:

10 mobile c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems will be used by Ukrainian forces to counter Russian drone attacks. The c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems are a "new item" to be provided to Ukraine by the U.S. and are "important capabilities for air defense and to counter Russian unmanned aerial systems." They will "enable Ukraine to fire precision rockets from mobile positions." This type of precision-guided rocket can be effective against both air and ground targets, becoming "especially valuable when facing wave after wave of drones." Also appearing in the latest round of military aid are nine counter-UAS 30mm gun trucks.

Ukraine will receive new capabilities to fend off ongoing Russian drone attacks in the latest U.S. aid package.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Defense Department unveiled a new tranche of military aid destined for Ukraine, worth around $2.6 billion. A senior defense official said the U.S. wanted "to help Ukraine advance and hold its positions in what we expect will be a Ukrainian counteroffensive."

It included 10 mobile c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems, which will likely be used by Ukrainian forces to counter Russian drone attacks. The c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems are being sent to combat unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. They are a "new item" to be provided to Ukraine by the U.S., the senior defense official said, and are "important capabilities for air defense and to counter Russian unmanned aerial systems."

They will "enable Ukraine to fire precision rockets from mobile positions," the official added, using previously-provided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS).

 

Also appearing in the latest round of military aid are nine counter-UAS 30mm gun trucks, and, as with the c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems, it is the first time the U.S. is furnishing Kyiv with these systems, the official noted.

Ukraine's military will receive these gun trucks to "be able to detect and intercept drones, including the Iranian-build Shaheds," the official told the media.

This type of precision-guided rocket can be effective against both air and ground targets, becoming "especially valuable when facing wave after wave of drones," military and technology expert David Hambling told Newsweek.

The laser-guided rockets have been in use for years, Hambling said, but against ground targets, and have been recently adapted for use as anti-aircraft weapons.

Where a more expensive Patriot missile may be "overwhelmed by sheer numbers," Hambling said, laser-guided rockets "can be supplied in much greater quantities."

The c-UAS precision-guided rockets "will form part of a layered defense," he argued. However, although useful against small drones, "it remains to be seen whether they are effective against the miniature kamikaze FPV [first person view] racing drones now used by both sides."