- WIADOMOŚCI
Shield against Russia: European rockets for F-16s
The Belgian Ministry of Defence has reported successful tests of munitions that could help multirole aircraft effectively and relatively affordably counter enemy UAS assets.
Photo. Tech. Sgt. Wolfram M. Stumpf (USAF)
The Belgian Air Force has announced the successful testing of systems designed to counter attack drones. Belgian F-16 aircraft used FZ275 70 mm rockets to shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles. These are laser-guided rockets that home in on reflected laser energy. They are manufactured by Thales Belgium and are in use in Ukraine.
De Luchtmacht testte in Lombardsijde een capaciteit tegen middelgrote aanvalsdrones. In samenwerking met de Landmacht, de Marine en Thales Belgium: FZ275‑raketten van 70 mm zonder lading op #F16, als efficiënte en betaalbare oplossing tegen de UAS‑dreiging pic.twitter.com/So7Afwy3XK
— Belgian Defence (@BelgiumDefence) April 30, 2026
The primary objective of the tests was to significantly reduce the cost of defending against hostile unmanned aircraft. Their integration is important because, until now, U.S.-built F-16s have used—alongside Sidewinder- or AMRAAM-class air-to-air missiles—only U.S.-made APKWS rockets to engage drones. Now, however, European rockets operating on a similar principle, although differing in design, can also be carried by Belgian F-16s, with up to 28 rockets per aircraft.
In the context of the unprecedented incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace in September last year, attention was drawn to the high cost of countering Russian UAVs. This was done mainly using conventional missile systems, which should largely be reserved for other missions.
