Ukraine’s war with Russia has become a contest of volume and precision, with cheap drones and missiles testing the limits of traditional air defenses. Into that pressure cooker, Kyiv is fielding laser guided rockets and homegrown laser weapons that promise to turn low-cost munitions and even pickup trucks into high-tech interceptors. If the technology scales, it could shift the economic balance of the air war, letting Ukraine trade cents on the dollar against Russian Shahed drones and cruise missiles.
The core of this shift is a marriage of guidance kits, legacy 70 mm rockets, and directed-energy systems that Ukraine is now deploying from the ground and from incoming F-16s. The emerging picture is not a silver bullet, but a layered architecture that aims to make Russia’s massed drone tactics far more expensive and far less effective.
The rise of APKWS: from Hydra rockets to precision interceptors
At the heart of Ukraine’s laser guided rocket story is the APKWS, a guidance kit that turns standard 70 mm Hydra rockets into precision weapons. Originally designed as an air-to-ground tool, the system bolts a smart mid-body section onto a cheap unguided rocket, creating a munition that can home in on a laser spot without the price tag of a full-size missile, a concept detailed in descriptions of how the kit upgrades the Hydra. This is the slingshot-into-sniper transformation: the same rocket body, but now able to hit a small drone or vehicle with meter-level accuracy instead of saturating an area.
Ukraine has been using these APKWS II rockets from the ground for years, and reporting notes that the country has now moved to arm its F-16s with the same class of APKWS. That combination matters because it lets a single fighter carry large pods of relatively cheap precision rockets alongside AIM‑120 AMRAAMs and AIM‑9 Sidewinders, preserving the expensive missiles for high-end threats while using guided 70 mm rounds against drones and soft ground targets.
Pickup trucks as air defense: VAMPIRE and the counter‑drone fight
On the ground, the most vivid expression of this concept is the VAMPIRE system, a modular launcher that bolts onto civilian vehicles. The US has supplied kits that let VAMPIRE launchers turn Ukraine pickup trucks into counter, drone systems, giving territorial units a way to fire guided rockets at low-flying threats without waiting for a dedicated air defense battery, as outlined in deliveries where VAMPIRE was paired with APKWS. In effect, a Toyota Hilux can become a pop-up missile site that tracks and engages a Shahed or small reconnaissance drone.
Footage and analysis have already shown what appears to be a U.S.-supplied VAMPIRE in action, with a laser guided rocket blasting a Russian drone and the system’s control interface visible as operators cue the shot, a scene described in coverage of the VAMPIRE engagement. This is where the economics start to flip: instead of firing a multimillion‑dollar surface‑to‑air missile at a few-thousand‑dollar drone, Ukraine can use a relatively inexpensive 70 mm rocket with a guidance kit, launched from a vehicle that costs less than a single interceptor.
From test ranges to the front: effectiveness and cost calculus
Critics often point out that test range performance rarely survives first contact with the battlefield, but the early data on APKWS is striking. In one German-supported trial, The APKWS demonstrated 100% effectiveness, with only five rockets used to destroy all five targets, a result highlighted in reporting on how The APKWS was sent to Ukraine. Separate demonstrations in Southern Arizona saw Five APKWS guided counter UAS rockets fired from a containerized weapon system, each intercepting fast moving drones and underscoring how the rockets can fill the guided missile gap against small UAS, according to accounts of the Five APKWS tests.
Strategically, the key is not just hit rate but cost per interception. Analysis of global use notes that over the past year, APKWS II rockets have allowed militaries to replace a handful of million‑dollar interceptors with dozens of cheaper guided rockets, shifting air defense from a boutique capability to something closer to mass production, a trend described in assessments of how Over the use of APKWS is reshaping air defense. If Ukraine can consistently down Shahed drones and some cruise missiles with these rockets, the country’s air defenders could cut interception costs dramatically and sustain operations even when Western stocks of high-end missiles are tight.
F‑16s and the new air defense playbook
The arrival of Ukrainian F‑16s armed with laser guided rockets adds a new layer to this architecture. Imagery and analysis indicate that Ukrainian F‑16s appear to be armed with laser guided rockets in new photos, with pods of APKWS mounted alongside AIM‑120 AMRAAMs and AIM‑9 Sidewinders, a configuration described in reports on how Ukrainian jets are being outfitted. This lets a single sortie act as both a traditional fighter and a kind of airborne shotgun, firing salvos of guided 70 mm rockets at drone swarms or lightly armored vehicles.
Earlier analysis of Ukraine’s air campaign has already highlighted the importance of laser guidance from drones and ground designators, including the launch of several Brimstone missiles simultaneously from a camouflaged lorry at a Ukrainian training ground, where operators used remote sensors to cue strikes on Russian positions, as described in coverage of the Launch of Brimstone missiles. Plugging APKWS into that ecosystem means a drone operator or forward observer can paint a target and have either a ground launcher or an F‑16 deliver a low-cost precision hit, tightening the kill chain and making it harder for Russian units to hide behind distance or dispersion.
Enter Tryzub: Ukraine’s indigenous laser weapon
Parallel to the rocket revolution, Ukraine is racing to field its own directed-energy weapons. Officials have showcased the Tryzub system as a prototype laser weapon that can intercept drones, missiles, and even aircraft, with demonstrations emphasizing how the Tryzub system’s laser can be used to protect critical infrastructure and civilian areas, as detailed in reports on how Tryzub was first revealed. Subsequent coverage has described how Ukraine demonstrated its Tryzub laser weapon system for the first time, showcasing a prototype that can intercept drones and missiles and highlighting the research methods behind the prototype testing, including its role in shielding prototype defenses.
By early 2025, Ukraine confirmed that laser weapons were not just lab curiosities but operational tools, with officials describing the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia as a catalyst for deploying systems like the Tryzub Laser System One of the most notable developments in Ukraine’s laser weapons program, even as they cautioned that power generation and weather still limit widespread deployment, according to analysis of Ukraine confirming deployment. Separate technical descriptions emphasize that the Tryzub Laser System One of the indigenous designs is tailored to counter swarm attacks and reconnaissance missions, positioning Tryzub as a complement to missile and rocket-based defenses rather than a replacement.
More from Morning Overview
*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
