Cargo drone shoots down multiple attack drones with laser-guided rockets

A cargo drone modified to carry laser-guided rockets intercepted multiple one-way attack drones during a single flight at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, BAE Systems announced on October 21, 2026.

The TRV-150, an armed version of Malloy Aeronautics’ T-150 heavy-lift drone, used a three-pod launcher carrying BAE Systems’ Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rockets to engage several airborne targets in succession, without landing or reloading.

The trial took place in late September 2026 as part of a Joint Readiness Experimentation exercise organized by the US Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.

BAE did not specify how many drones were intercepted or rockets fired, nor did it identify the targets or explain how they were designated for the laser-guided weapons.

The TRV-150 has intercepted multiple one-way attack drones in a single mission, without landing to reload. During trials at Eglin Air Force Base, the modified Malloy T-150 fired laser-guided APKWS rockets from a three-pod launcher to intercept several air targets.

Low-cost. Precise. Delivered at pace.

Find out more: https://t.co/SkGYjIJun0

Footage taken from earlier trials at Fort Rucker in May 2026. Credit US Army.

— BAE Systems Air (@BAESystemsAir) October 21, 2026

From single-shot tests to multiple interceptions

The latest trial marks another step in the development of the armed TRV-150, which has progressed through a series of live-fire tests over the past 18 months.

In May 2025, the aircraft successfully engaged aerial and ground targets with APKWS rockets at the US Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. BAE announced the results that July, reporting no misses and describing the air-to-air engagement as the first of its kind for an APKWS guidance kit launched from an uncrewed aircraft.

A further milestone came on May 20, 2026, when the TRV-150 successfully fired from a newly integrated three-shot launcher during trials at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Those tests focused on the aircraft’s ability to compensate for the forces generated by rocket launches.

The last demonstration went a step further, showing that the drone could engage successive airborne targets during the same mission.

“Our customers are facing drone threats right now, so we’ve worked at pace with our partners to move from concept to a proven system, which can engage multiple targets in a single mission,” said Thomas Lancashire, head of uncrewed air systems business development at BAE Systems’ FalconWorks division.

Turning a military cargo drone into an interceptor

A TRV-150 uncrewed aircraft fitted with a three-round launcher. (Credit: BAE Systems)

The TRV-150 is based on the all-electric T-150, an eight-rotor aircraft capable of carrying up to 68 kilograms (150 pounds) of cargo. BAE Systems acquired its British manufacturer, Malloy Aeronautics, in February 2024.

The unarmed T-150 is already used for military logistics. During Operation Highmast in 2025, Royal Navy drones carried supplies between warships accompanying the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales on its deployment to the Indo-Pacific. The Royal Navy declared the type ready for front-line operations in September that year.

Maryland-based SURVICE Engineering adapted the aircraft into the TRV-150 to meet US military requirements, while BAE’s FalconWorks division developed and integrated the APKWS modification kit.

The resulting aircraft combines the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of a logistics drone with precision-guided weapons normally carried by much larger aircraft.

BAE Systems and SURVICE now plan to explore using the armed T-150 at sea, potentially giving warships another means of defending themselves against incoming drones.

Armed drones emerge as an alternative for air defense

APKWS converts unguided 70-millimeter (2.75-inch) rockets into laser-guided weapons. Already used aboard combat aircraft and helicopters, including the F-16, F/A-18 and AH-64 Apache, it is increasingly being employed against drones.

In May 2026, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems reported APKWS firings from a US Air Force MQ-9A Reaper, including against aerial targets. Days later, the UK Ministry of Defense confirmed that Royal Air Force Typhoons armed with APKWS had flown operational sorties in the Middle East.

Other manufacturers are exploring purpose-built airborne interceptors. In March 2026, Airbus demonstrated its Bird of Prey drone, which autonomously detected and engaged a one-way attack drone using a Mark I air-to-air missile developed by Estonia’s Frankenburg Technologies. Unlike APKWS, the Mark I is a fire-and-forget weapon weighing less than 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds). Airbus plans for the operational Bird of Prey to carry up to eight missiles.

Both projects reflect growing interest in using reusable, relatively inexpensive aircraft to intercept attack drones, reducing the need to commit more costly combat aircraft or surface-to-air missiles to every engagement.

The post Cargo drone shoots down multiple attack drones with laser-guided rockets appeared first on AeroTime.