U.S. Military Using Drones As Rocket Launchers And Helicopter Escorts
Key takeaways
- Military Using Drones As Rocket Launchers And Helicopter Escorts By Zita Ballinger Fletcher,
- Army mounted a three-shot rocket launcher called the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) onto a TRV 150 drone and successfully fired it during a test at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
- A TRV-150 carrying a triple 70 mm rocket launcher flies during a recent test at Fort Rucker, Ala.
Aerospace & Defense U.S. Military Using Drones As Rocket Launchers And Helicopter Escorts By Zita Ballinger Fletcher,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zita Ballinger Fletcher is a defense technology reporter Follow Author Jun 05, 2026, 03:58pm EDTJun 05, 2026, 04:01pm EDTA US Army AH-64D Apache helicopter fires missiles during NATO exercises in Poland in September 2025. The Army recently fired rockets used on Apaches from a heavy-lift cargo drone, significantly expanding the flexibility of U.S. military firepower. (Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP) (Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesThe U.S. military has expanded the capabilities of attack helicopters by using drones to launch precision-guided rockets and accompany helicopters as loitering munitions. The close integration now occurring between drones and attack helicopters has opened a new chapter in warfare and marks a milestone in the widening the range of U.S. military firepower.
Last month, the U.S. Army mounted a three-shot rocket launcher called the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) onto a TRV 150 drone and successfully fired it during a test at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Combining these two systems was an unprecedented move given their previously dissimilar uses.