How guidance kits are giving 'dumb' rockets the precision of a sniper rifle

Two A-10 ground attack aircraft armed with JDAMs and APKWS rocket pods. (Image credit: US Central Command)

Smart rockets are rapidly emerging as one of the most cost-effective precision-strike tools in modern warfare.Once regarded as “dumb” area weapons used to saturate a target zone, unguided rockets are staging a comeback in the era of precision bombs and missiles.Fitted with guidance kits, these rockets are being transformed into precision systems that cost a fraction of conventional missiles.That shift is reshaping battlefield economics and giving militaries a cheaper way to deliver precise firepower.Existing systems have also been used to hunt drones in West Asia, where aircraft and attack helicopters have deployed them.The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) is a prime example.The legacy Hydra 70 unguided rocket was fitted with a laser guidance kit, creating a capability that bridges the gap between the inexpensive Hydra and the costlier AGM-114 Hellfire missile.APKWS lets operators defeat targets for which a Hellfire would be overkill.The upgraded APKWS II, designated AGR-19/20/21, is now used as a precision weapon against lightly armoured targets.Europe has followed suit: the FZ275 Laser Guided Rocket (LGR), developed by Forges de Zeebrugge and now part of Thales Belgium, provides a low-cost guided option compatible with existing 70 mm rocket launchers.

India is also moving to domestic production: Adani Defence & Aerospace signed an agreement in June 2024 to manufacture precision rocket kits for attack helicopters such as the HAL Rudra and the Prachand, both of which already use 70 mm rockets.Indigenous innovation is advancing as well.IIT Madras and Bharat Electronics Limited have jointly developed an 80 mm rocket guidance kit with a 10–12 km range.Eighty-millimetre rockets are used by the Indian Air Force’s Mi-17 and Mi-35 fleets; a laser-guided upgrade is planned to boost their precision-strike capability.Russia’s Ugroza system follows the same principle, converting older S-5, S-8, and S-13 rockets into guided munitions, many of which are already in Indian service. Similar developments are underway in China, South Korea, and Turkey, underscoring the global appeal of this approach.Smart rockets deliver the best bang for the buck for modern unguided-rocket arsenals. By turning cheap unguided rockets into precision weapons, militaries gain affordable accuracy, extended utility, and much greater flexibility.