Ukraine: Bayraktar now equipped with US APKWS missiles

By David Hambling

The latest aid package sent by the Pentagon to Ukraine includes “laser-guided missile systems.” The description sounds a bit complicated, since we are used to calling any guided missile a rocket. In the US military, however, when they refer to a “guided missile” they mean a specific weapon with which the fleet of Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aircraft could be equipped.

Bayraktar was one of the “surprises” that Kyiv had in store for the invaders. Contrary to expectations, Ukraine’s Turkish drones – which look like the smallest American Predators – destroyed a significant number of Russian military vehicles, flying at night and launching laser-guided MAM missiles, also made in Turkey. Russia’s inability to bring down or neutralize the Bayraktar is one of the major shortcomings of its military since the invasion. Bayraktar’s success on the field has boosted the morale of Ukrainians – the Turkish-made drone has become a symbol of resistance, even inspiring song lyrics.

The Russians claim to have destroyed 37 of the rakt 35 Bayraktar held by the Ukrainian army: an impressive. 106%. Well: only 3 drones are confirmed to have been lost by the Ukrainians; the rest of Bayraktar remain active. In recent days, however, the Bayraktar have acted more as a cover and observer for the Ukrainian artillery, locating targets and directing strikes, rather than attacking themselves. This may be for business security reasons, but it may also be due to a lack of missiles.

Turkey sent another shipment of Bayraktar to Ukraine shortly before the Russian invasion, with Ankara conducting diplomatic balancing exercises between Kiev and Moscow. Officials stressed that the party to the latest drone sale was a Turkish private company and was not a transnational military support. Tayyip Erdogan has said that Ankara can not impose sanctions on Moscow because of its dependence on Russian energy.

While other countries are rushing to supply Ukraine with missiles and military equipment, Turkey has not supplied equipment to Kyiv since the Russian invasion. Moscow pressure and / or Ankara’s cautiousness have stopped the supply of MAM missiles to Bayraktar.

So, it’s time for an alternative weapon. While Ukraine has several Javelins and other anti-tank missiles, they are not suitable for air launch and are not easy to integrate into unmanned aircraft. The US could supply Ukraine with Hellfire missiles, but they weigh twice as much as a MAM. Therefore, being placed in a Bayraktar would be like waiting for a swallow to carry a coconut.

The US, however, has an easy-to-use alternative: a light, laser-guided missile that can be launched from an aircraft. This is the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon II or APKWS: the upgraded version of the old US Army 2.75-inch missiles. These rockets – weighing 11 kilograms – were developed in the 1940s, carried by aircraft or helicopters in capsules of 7 or 19 and fired en masse to hit an area. They were used extensively in Vietnam, and Russian helicopters are launching similar unmanned missiles in Ukraine today.

The APKWS is laser guided through four heads connected to the steering system. The pilot simply marks the target and the missile hits it without the need for advanced technology. Although a simple rocket in theory, in practice the construction of APKWS was complicated, with BAE Systems taking more than 16 years to complete its development, overcoming many operational problems, and launching it successfully in 2012.

APKWS was used on the ground by US Marines in Afghanistan as a lightweight, low-cost alternative to Hellfire. It has a range of over 5 km when launched from a helicopter and over 11 km from a fixed wing aircraft (which can be increased by 30% with the upgraded software of 2021).

APKWS is designed as a plug-and-play system that can be easily added to an aircraft.

“Because it uses standard launchers, the APKWS does not require platform integration or modifications to the aircraft, and because it is loaded and launched just like a standard 2.75-inch rocket, pilots do not need many hours of additional training,” a BAE spokesman told granted in 2012.

Bayraktar has never launched an APKWS. However, according to the manufacturer’s promotional material, it is compatible with the CİRİT missile produced by the Turkish company Roketsan. The CİRİT is of the same philosophy as the APKWS: a 2.75-inch laser-guided missile designed to launch from existing aircraft systems and compatible with NATO laser systems.

BAE has not been able to comment on the transfer or the possibility of equipping Bayraktar with APKWS, explaining to me that these questions should be addressed to the US military authorities. (Which suggests that the missiles will come from existing stocks so that they can be sent to Ukraine immediately).

The APKWS is lighter than the Bayraktar missile currently used in Ukraine and does not carry such a powerful warhead. However, since drones have been used primarily to neutralize not tanks, but trucks carrying fuel and other military vehicles carrying anti-aircraft systems, Ukrainians may not need heavy anti-tank missiles.

The lighter APKWS is an advantage, as a Bayraktar can carry – instead of four MAMs – at least six APKWS.

Some have suggested that the United States should supply Ukraine with Reaper drones. This, however, would require special retraining of Ukrainian pilots and higher standards of maintenance and logistics. Procurement of armaments to ensure that Ukrainian Bayraktar continue to strike Russian invaders is a good short-term measure, and sending APKWS is probably the best way to achieve this.

Read also:

* “Too bad for nothing” Bayraktar: Will not give Ukraine the advantage it needs

* The chief negotiator of the Ukrainians with the creator of the Turkish drone Bayraktar in Istanbul

* After gains from wars in Libya, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Erdogan’s son-in-law builds supersonic drone