After the US and the UK, France has equipped its cutting-edge Rafale fighter jets with laser-guided rockets for counter-drone roles.
The Directorate General of Armaments (DGA), the French government’s defense procurement and technology department, announced on July 13 that a 68mm laser-guided rocket has been successfully integrated onto the Rafale under the Lutte anti-drone sur avion de combat (LADAC, or anti-drone capability for combat aircraft) initiative.
The integration work was carried out in collaboration with the French Air and Space Force’s Center d’expertise aéronautique et de recherche militaire (the French aeronautical research and test facility), with assistance from Thales and Dassault Aviation, the DGA noted.
France had been evaluating the integration of a laser-based rocket onto the Rafale for quite some time, especially in light of lessons from the unbridled use of cheap one-way attack drones in the ongoing Ukraine War and during the recent hostilities in West Asia.
A chief engineer at DGA initially disclosed these plans at the Paris Air Show 2025. “We absolutely have to start using rockets for the counter-UAS mission, because we cannot keep using our high-value missiles in this role,” he told Janes. “We are now evaluating both unguided and guided rockets, and it is something that we are looking to implement very soon,” the official said at the time.
Later, General Jérôme Bellanger, the Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force, made a case for cheap laser-guided rockets for counter-drone roles at a parliamentary hearing in October 2025. “Regarding airborne anti-drone operations, it is not sustainable to use MICA air-to-air missiles costing over a million euros to shoot down a drone worth a few thousand dollars,” Bellanger said at the time. “We must develop our own low-cost firing capabilities or adapt our gun fire-control systems,” he added.
France launched the LADAC program under “Urgence Opérationnelle” (operational urgency) on December 31, 2025, through a contract notification to Dassault Aviation and Thales. The fact that this counter-drone weapon’s testing started in February of this year is proof that the program has been rushed from the outset.
The Defence Procurement Agency has successfully completed integration testing of 68 mm laser-guided rockets on the Rafale fighter jet. The time between the contract being awarded for this new capability and initial operational capability being achieved was less than 8 months. pic.twitter.com/rR2Nij9EzY
— French Aid to Europe 🇨🇵 🇪🇺 (@aidefranceukr) July 13, 2026
By mid-April 2026, DGA head Patrick Pailloux informed the French National Assembly that development and integration work on laser-guided 68 mm rocket pods for the counter-UAS (C-UAS) role was underway, with initial operational availability expected by summer.
Interestingly, a French Navy Rafale M was spotted in April with at least one Thales 68 mm rocket pod installed under its port (left) wing, suggesting the work was in full swing.
Un Rafale équipé de roquettes guidées laser aperçu à Istres. Les essais ont donc enfin démarré. Ici une nacelle Thalès JF12, donc 24 roquettes 68mm au total. Une corde de plus à l'arc du Rafale, la chasse au Shahed est OUVERTE ! pic.twitter.com/6v0xSMkUJ1
— bruno aviation (@Bruno_Aviation) April 16, 2026
The LADAC includes Telson JF12 rocket pods equipped with laser-guided 68 mm Aculeus-LG rockets that follow a “mostly ballistic trajectory” after the initial motor burn, with terminal corrections toward a laser-designated target.
TDA TELSON 12 JF rocket pods hold 12 rockets, and a standard combat load consists of two pods, bringing the total number of rockets to 24.
These work in tandem with the Talios pod, which is critical for the precision phase, handling fine-target tracking, identification, and continuous laser designation for the Aculeus-LG rockets, as well as for the RBE2 AESA Radar, which provides initial long-range detection and tracking of small, slow-moving drones.
The urgency accorded by France and the DGA to the integration of these cheap laser-guided rockets on Rafales is a direct result of France’s own experience with shooting down Iranian drones over the UAE’s airspace earlier this year.
French officials have cited the high cost of using MICA air-to-air missiles against low-cost drones as a key reason for developing cheaper alternatives. A single MICA missile costs between $680,000 and $1.14 million, while Shahed-type drones are estimated to cost between $20,000 and $50,000.
In contrast, laser-guided 68 mm rockets cost just about $25,000 to $40,000 per shot and are expected to be far better matched to the threat while maintaining precision.
France has prioritized integrating laser-guided rockets to improve cost-effectiveness and increase magazine capacity.
In a dynamic modern battlefield, the use of cheap laser-guided rockets keeps higher-end missiles available for faster or more complex threats while giving pilots a more proportionate option. This could be particularly crucial when dealing with large-scale drone attacks or swarms because using expensive missiles against low-cost targets quickly depletes supplies and becomes economically unsustainable.
Additionally, a combat aircraft gains much-needed magazine depth with the deployment of laser-guided rockets. For instance, the Rafale can support dozens of engagements per mission by carrying multiple pods on available pylons. This essentially turns the aircraft into a drone-killing machine by eliminating the need to return to base to reload, boosting firepower.
Although LADAC has been designed for the French Rafale and Rafale-Marine, the system may be sought by export customers. India, for instance, already operates 36 Rafale fighters and has 26 Rafale-M fighters on order.
Additionally, it is all set to sign a deal for another 114 Rafales. India would gain significant operational, economic, and strategic benefits from adopting the French 68mm laser-guided rocket, especially given the growing threat posed by low-cost drones, as seen in the 2025 conflict with Pakistan.
Having said that, it is pertinent to note that France is merely following the lead of countries like the US and the UK that have already integrated their advanced fighter jets with cheap laser-guided rockets to counter the growing menace of drones.
US & UK Did It First!
The US military has been a pioneer in integrating and operationally fielding the APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System) laser-guided rockets on jets for counter-drone roles. For example, the F-16, the F-15E, and the A-10 Warthogs have all been equipped with these rockets.
In early September 2025, the Air Force Test Center announced the integration of APKWS II rockets onto an F-15E. The flight test was completed in just 9 days, under an unusually tight schedule, as reported in detail by the EurAsian Times at the time.
Subsequently, these rockets became the US Air Force’s primary air-to-air weapon against drone threats in the Middle East. The F-16s were known to be using it against Houthi drones last year, as tensions raged in the Middle East.
U.S. Fighter aircraft shoot down Iran-backed Houthi one-way-attack drones with AGR-20 FALCO Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) Laser Guided 2.75" Rockets.#HouthisAreTerrorists pic.twitter.com/bDoVnKwotc
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 19, 2025
In another battleground, the Ukrainian F-16s were seen carrying LAU-131/A 7-round rocket pods loaded with APKWS II in December 2025 and have since been used extensively to down drones, as per open-source reporting.
Earlier this year, the aging USAF A-10 Warthogs were spotted equipped with APKWS rockets while flying sorties in support of “Operation Epic Fury.” These jets were known to be flying counter-drone operations at the time.
“Now in operational use by 9 Squadron, the APKWS enhances Typhoon’s versatility and enables the aircraft to respond more flexibly to evolving threats. The system strengthens the RAF’s ability to maintain persistent air defense while managing costs and resources more effectively,” the RAF said in an official statement at the time. However, it did not provide further information, including on its use against an actual drone.
The deployment of the Eurofighter-APKWS combo was completed quickly, as BAE Systems had tested its laser-guided 70mm APKWS rockets on only one aircraft in April 2026.
The rationale for this accelerated timeline is the same as that which drove the French effort, including cost-effectiveness and magazine depth. For instance, a Shahed-136 drone, which is frequently deployed by adversaries such as Iran and Russia, costs only $35,000 to $50,000, while a Meteor carried by the Eurofighter Typhoon costs between $2.5 million and $3 million per unit.
This cost mismatch produces a significant asymmetry that benefits the enemy, particularly in a protracted conflict that depletes missile stockpiles and raises the cost of war.
“The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) gives RAF pilots a highly accurate option to destroy aerial targets and allows them to engage drones at a fraction of the cost of traditional air-to-air missiles. This improves sustainability and ensures more efficient use of munitions during prolonged operations. APKWS uses a laser targeting system that turns unguided missiles into low-cost precision weapons able to take down enemy drones and other threats,” the RAF earlier stated.
Interestingly, nearly all Eurofighter Typhoon operators are now looking to integrate APKWS onto their aircraft, as Richard Hamilton, Managing Director, Air Operations, at BAE Systems, the manufacturer of APKWS, recently revealed. “I would say all that there is strong interest from all of the [Eurofighter] users – all 10, recognizing that Türkiye is not yet a user. We are seeing it from the global fleet of [Eurofighter] users,” he stated.
Therefore, it is safe to say that laser-guided rockets have emerged as the weapon of choice amid the rampant proliferation of drones on modern battlefields.
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