BAE Systems completed the first live-fire test of its laser-guided APKWS rockets from a Eurofighter Typhoon, scoring a direct hit on a ground target at a UK military range. The weapon fired was the air-to-air optimized AGR-20F variant (also known as FALCO), which converts unguided 70mm Hydra rockets into precision-guided munitions via a laser-homing guidance section. Imagery from the trial showed the Typhoon carrying two LAU-131 seven-round launch pods. BAE first disclosed feasibility studies for APKWS on Typhoon at DSEI in September 2025, making the seven-month path to live-fire unusually fast for Typhoon weapon integration. The next phase of testing will engage aerial targets.

The point is cost asymmetry. An APKWS guidance kit runs $15,000 to $20,000, compared with roughly $450,000 for an AIM-9X and over $1 million for an AMRAAM or Meteor. NATO air forces have been forced into losing trades against cheap one-way attack drones — last month an RAF Typhoon from the joint UK-Qatar squadron downed an Iranian drone over Qatar with an unspecified air-to-air missile. APKWS is already operational on the F-15E, F-16C, A-10, and multiple rotary-wing platforms, and Lt. Gen. Derek France, head of Air Forces Central, told TWZ the weapon has become the service's "primary weapon against a drone" in the Middle East. BAE delivered its 100,000th APKWS II kit in February 2026 and can produce up to 20,000 units per year. Similar magazine depth on Typhoon would give Eurofighter operators across the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Gulf a way to sustain high-volume counter-drone engagements without burning through their premium missile stocks.

Korean Air rolled out the first production unit of South Korea's Medium-Altitude UAV (MUAV, also designated KUS-FS), marking the country's first strategic-class unmanned aircraft to enter mass production. The aircraft measures 13 meters in length with a 26-meter wingspan and is powered by a 1,200-horsepower turboprop engine. It is designed to operate above 10 kilometers altitude and provide real-time video intelligence on ground targets, with the primary mission of conducting persistent surveillance and reconnaissance deep into North Korea. Korean Air led system development as primary contractor since 2008, working with Hanwha Systems and LIG Nex1. The total project cost is roughly 471 billion won (approximately $352 million). First Air Force delivery is planned for early 2026 following completion of flight tests, with the system expected to be modified later for use by the Navy and Coast Guard.

Northrop Grumman demonstrated its Lumberjack one-way attack drone during the U.S. Army's Operation Lethal Eagle exercise, releasing simulated Hatchet munitions while integrated with the Maven Smart System and Palantir's Agentic Effects Agent for automated target detection. The drone sustained beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications throughout the operation, transmitting real-time mission updates and battle damage assessments. After completing the strike, Lumberjack transitioned into a surveillance role rather than exiting the mission, collecting additional battlefield intelligence. Lumberjack is a low-cost attack drone weighing 131.5 kg at gross weight and 36 kg in transport configuration without fuel or payload, measuring 180 cm long. The Hatchet precision-strike munition it deployed weighs 2.7 kg. Northrop says the platform went from concept to first flight in under 14 months and is designed to carry both kinetic and non-kinetic payloads across strike and surveillance missions.

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