Saudi Arabia will purchase Hydra precision-guided munitions kits, which will enable the replacement of expensive “air-to-air” missiles for intercepting Houthi drones.

The sale of the corresponding aviation weapons has been approved by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has requested to purchase 2,000 kits for the modification of APKWS II for Hydra 70 mm unguided air-to-ground rockets. Along with the accompanying equipment and services, the potential contract is valued at USD 100 million.

These rockets are highly likely to be equipped on Saudi F-15 fighter jets as a cost-effective means of countering the numerous drone attacks launched by Houthi militants. The U.S. Department of State has stated that Saudi Arabia would face no difficulties in integrating this weaponry.

For the first time, APKWS II rockets were used to intercept aerial targets by U.S. F-16C fighter jets during their deployment in the Middle East in December of last year. According to a U.S. Air Force spokesperson, they were used “as one of many options to counter the threat posed by Houthi unmanned aerial systems.”

Also, this month, U.S. Central Command released footage of these rockets intercepting Houthi drones.

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

The guidance of the rockets, controlled by reflected laser beams, is provided by the suspended AN/AAQ-28 Litening laser targeting pod. It is mounted under the aircraft’s center fuselage and illuminates selected targets. These pods are already integrated into Saudi fighter jets, so the integration of the rockets does not require modifications to the aircraft.

The main advantage of using unguided rockets with a guidance kit is the low overall cost: the APKWS II kit itself costs around $15,000, and the cost of the unguided rocket itself adds a few thousand dollars more.

In contrast, according to Pentagon budget documents, the cost of a modern short-range air-to-air missile, AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II, is just under $420,000.

It is worth noting that APKWS II rockets are also used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces from ground launchers to intercept Russian drones and strike ground targets.

Their use from F-16 fighter jets provided by European countries is also possible, as Danish aircraft were equipped with LITENING G4 laser targeting pods as early as 2013.