France Equips Rafale Fighter Jets with C-UAS Kit to Engage Shahed Drones Using 68mm Rockets
France has validated a Counter-UAS (C-UAS) combat kit designed for the Rafale fighter jet, enabling it to intercept and destroy Shahed-type attack drones using air-launched 68mm unguided rockets. The capability offers a cost-effective alternative to expensive air-to-air missiles and strengthens NATO's multi-layered air defense options against low-cost drone threats.
Highlights
- France has formally validated a C-UAS combat kit for the Rafale fighter jet, enabling it to intercept Shahed-type attack drones using air-launched 68mm unguided rockets.
- The 68mm rocket solution is significantly cheaper than conventional air-to-air missiles, making it a cost-effective option for countering low-cost, mass-deployed loitering munitions.
- The Rafale's superior maneuverability and advanced avionics allow it to acquire, close in on, and engage drone targets with rocket fire.
- The validated capability gives NATO allies a new airborne intercept layer that complements ground-based air defense systems in a multi-layered defense architecture.
- The development is a direct response to the widespread battlefield use of Iranian-made Shahed-series loitering munitions across multiple active conflict zones.
France has formally validated a Counter-UAS (C-UAS) combat kit tailored for the Rafale fighter jet, enabling the aircraft to intercept and destroy Shahed-type attack drones using air-launched 68mm rockets.
A New Tactical Requirement in the Face of Drone Threats
The widespread battlefield deployment of Iranian-made Shahed-series loitering munitions across multiple conflict zones has made effective interception of low-cost, mass-deployed drones a pressing priority for air forces worldwide. Conventional air-to-air missiles carry price tags that make them poorly suited for engaging cheap drones from a cost-effectiveness standpoint, prompting France to actively explore more economical alternatives.
68mm Rockets: A Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Intercept Solution
The validated C-UAS kit employs 68mm unguided rockets, which are significantly cheaper than precision-guided munitions and therefore far better suited for engaging low-value threats such as Shahed-type drones. Leveraging the Rafale's superior maneuverability and advanced avionics, the aircraft can effectively acquire and close on a target drone before engaging it with a rocket salvo.
Reinforcing Multi-Layered Air Defense
The validation of this capability marks an important step forward for the French Air and Space Force in the counter-drone domain. It also provides NATO allies with an airborne intercept option distinct from ground-based air defense systems, helping to build a more comprehensive multi-layered air defense architecture capable of addressing the increasingly serious drone threats present on the modern battlefield.
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