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Weapons
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Belgian F-16s Are Testing FZ275 Laser-Guided Rockets for C-UAS Role
This is also possibly the first time that an F-16 was seen airborne with the six LAU-131A/A pods for laser-guided rockets, which give the aircraft a 42-round capacity. A previous instance in which this loadout was spotted was on the ground in June 2025 at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, when a U.S. Air Force F-16CM was photographed during a munitions load event for a larger APKWS II payload.
Belgium’s Directorate General of Material Resources (DGMR) later shared the image on X on Mar. 11, 2026, touching upon the current need to develop cost-effective weapons systems and tactics against low-cost attack drones, instead of expensive surface-to-air missile systems. The agency said that the FZ275 is being tested alongside BAE Systems’ AGR-20F FALCO (Fixed Wing, Air Launched, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ordnance) for the C-UAS role.
This is also possibly the first time that an F-16 was seen airborne with the six LAU-131A/A pods for laser-guided rockets, which give the aircraft a 42-round capacity. A previous instance in which this loadout was spotted was on the ground in June 2025 at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, when a U.S. Air Force F-16CM was photographed during a munitions load event for a larger APKWS II payload.
Belgium’s Directorate General of Material Resources (DGMR) later shared the image on X on Mar. 11, 2026, touching upon the current need to develop cost-effective weapons systems and tactics against low-cost attack drones, instead of expensive surface-to-air missile systems. The agency said that the FZ275 is being tested alongside BAE Systems’ AGR-20F FALCO (Fixed Wing, Air Launched, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ordnance) for the C-UAS role.
Belgian F-16s with six LAU-131s
Tim told The Aviationist that the F-16 in the image was part of a two-ship formation that he photographed in the afternoon of Feb. 27, while they were returning from a training sortie. In the image, we can see ten rockets still in two of the LAU-131A/A pods of the starboard (right-side) wing – the pod on the top right has its full load of seven FZ275 LGRs, while the pod in the middle has three.
The
two-ship F-16 formation, with the lead aircraft equipped with six
LAU-131A/A rocket pods. (Image credit: Tim VdB Photography)
-It is unclear if the F-16 expended some of the LGRs, while the other F-16 lased the targets with the Sniper pod during the test mission. “The other F-16 was carrying the Sniper pod, probably for designating/lasing the target,” Tim told The Aviationist.
As we have explained before, APKWS II rockets costing around $30,000 apiece are much cheaper and cost effective in destroying Shahed/Geran-type One-Way Attack (OWA) drones worth more than $20,000, instead of AIM-9s and AIM-120s worth around $450,000 and over $1 million, respectively.
The issue was also mentioned as a reason for these tests by the DGMR in its X post:
“Attack-drones pose a major and cost-effective threat in
recent conflicts. Our Belgian Air Force is therefore testing
laser-guided 70mm rockets, including the Belgian FZ275 LGR from Thales,
to efficiently neutralize attack-drones.
Belgian Defence is preparing for the future.
During recent conflicts, we have seen that inexpensive attack drones
can cause immense damage. Deploying traditional air defense systems
against this type of threat is often extremely expensive.
To evolve with the threat, our air force is working on integrating
laser-guided rockets that can efficiently neutralize drones. This
involves not only the American AGR-20F, but also solutions from our own
Belgian industry.
Since the beginning of this year, the Belgian Air Force has been
conducting test campaigns with the 70mm FZ275 LGR from Thales Belgium,
with a view to integration on our F-16s. With these steps, we are
working on an effective, affordable, and future-oriented weapon against
attack-drones.
Threat evolves, we evolve along.”
C-UAS loadouts on F-16s
According to FZ, the FZ275 LGR has a Semi-Active Laser (SAL) seeker, and the guided rocket “closes the gap between the long-range high-value missiles and the shorter range guns/cannon and unguided rockets, thus affording a full range of precision effects from a platform to defeat soft and light armoured targets.”
Ukraine too is poised to use the FZ275 LGR since it signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2024 with Thales Belgium to jointly produce the rocket, and develop a new warhead under a transfer-of-technology (ToT) arrangement, Militarnyi reported.
The rocket’s current warhead is designated as the FZ123, and features a small explosive charge and thousands of small steel ball bearings for area effects
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