The Ukrainian Air Force released a video last week, analyzed on 21/2 by military aviation website Aviationist, depicting an F-16 fighter jet taking off for a mission and a projectile striking a target, identified as a Russian suicide unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Parth Satam, editor of Aviationist, identified the weapon in the video as a rocket from the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II), developed by the US to neutralize targets such as UAVs or light armored vehicles.

"This is the first time footage has emerged of a Ukrainian F-16 using APKWS II to destroy a Russian UAV. The video was extracted from the Sniper targeting pod, which illuminates targets with a laser to guide rockets and monitor strike results," Satam added.

Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet launches rockets, missiles to down Russian UAVs. Video: Ukrainian Air Force

The Ukrainian Air Force previously released a video of an F-16 fighter jet firing an air-to-air missile to engage a target, but without providing details. United24, the Ukrainian government's fundraising platform, stated that a pilot fired a "one million US dollar AIM-120 AMRAAM missile" to down a Russian Geran UAV.

APKWS transforms conventional 70 mm Hydra rockets into guided weapons by adding a semi-active laser seeker, control fins, and a proximity fuse. The APKWS II version incorporates an infrared seeker, allowing the rocket to autonomously track targets during approach, eliminating the need for continuous laser illumination from a control station, unlike earlier variants.

Each APKWS II round costs approximately 20,000-30,000 US dollars, making it a cost-effective and efficient counter-UAV solution.

Ukrainian F-16s first appeared with APKWS II in photos taken in 12/2025. The aircraft at the time appeared to be preparing to land, carrying two LAU-131A/A rocket pods with a maximum capacity of 14 rockets and an AN/AAQ-28 Litening targeting pod.

Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet carrying rocket pods in a photo taken in 12/2025. Photo: X/OSINT Technical

Meanwhile, the AIM-120 AMRAAM is the most powerful air-to-air weapon in Ukraine's F-16 fleet. The "one million US dollar" price tag announced by the United24 platform suggests that Ukrainian fighter jets may have fired the AIM-120C5 variant, which costs approximately 1,3 million US dollars per missile, depending on the contract.

In comparison, the Russian Geran-2 suicide UAV has an ex-factory price of approximately 35,000-50,000 US dollars, depending on the variant. The Gerbera decoy UAV series, built from inexpensive materials and with lower capabilities, is often deployed alongside Geran-2 aircraft, with a production cost of approximately 10,000 US dollars per unit.

Nguyen Tien (According to Aviationist, AFP, AP)