The Italy APKWS purchase is under consideration by the Italian Air Force, which is exploring U.S. technology that converts inexpensive unguided rockets into precision munitions, offering a budget-minded way to down drones instead of expending costly air-to-air missiles.
According to the U.S. Department of State, Washington has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to Italy covering 5,031 BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II guidance kits.
Italy APKWS purchase and capabilities
The APKWS module is fitted between a rocket’s warhead and motor. It employs four fold-out wings, each equipped with a laser seeker, to transform a rocket that costs under €100,000, or about $117,000, into a guided round.
Italian officials view the approach as a means to avoid firing missiles such as the AMRAAM, which can cost roughly ten times more, to neutralize cheaply produced drones.
“The proposed sale will improve Italy’s capability to meet current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defense and serving as a deterrent to regional threats,” the State Department said.
The approval package also includes launchers, warheads, rocket motors, and technical support. The potential value of the deal is $364 million, the department said.
Industry sources in Italy said no contract has been signed and the equipment is still under evaluation. The likely platform for the APKWS would be Italy’s Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, which already contributes to European air policing against drone incursions.
Earlier this month, an Italian Eurofighter assigned to a NATO air policing mission in the Baltics shot down an unidentified drone that entered Latvian airspace.
In May, the Royal Air Force said it had integrated the system on its Eurofighters following a rapid acquisition effort that completed testing and deployment within two months.
The RAF said the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System gives pilots a highly accurate option against aerial targets and enables them to engage drones at a fraction of the cost of traditional air-to-air missiles.