Belgium tests F-16 with FZ275 laser-guided rocket in C-UAS trials

After the Belgian Air Force announced last March that it was testing Thales Belgium’s F-16 laser-guided rocket, footage now shows testing in the Counter-UAS role.

Weeks after the Belgian Air Force confirmed the continued integration of the FZ275 laser-guided rocket into the F-16 for the counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) role, the service released test footage on April 30 that shows Fighting Falcons using the rocket to shoot down a targeted drone.

It is not known when the test was conducted, but the Belgian Ministry of Defense identified the location as Lomardsijde, in the southern part of the North Sea in the country’s northwest, and stated that the rocket used was inert. The Belgian Ministry of Defense said in

The Belgian Air Force operates 43-44 F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcons. We are also an F-35A Lightning II customer with a total of 34 aircraft on order and plans to purchase 11 more. To date, 11 F-35s have been delivered, eight of which have been deployed to Luke AFB, Arizona to train new F-35 pilots.

test

Footage released by BAF shows one of the F-16s being used for testing with at least two seven-gun LAU-131A/A pods mounted on the port (left) wing. Two different photos of that wing show each pod carrying only one Thales Belgium 2.75-inch/70mm FZ275 LGR in a different tube. This suggests that the video shows several sorties from a test campaign.

Footage from the cockpit shows the rocket leaving one of the pods and striking an unidentified drone, which can be seen in infrared footage of the target pod.

In tests reported by the Belgian Directorate General of Material Resources (DGMR) on March 11, 2026, an F-16 captured at Kleine Brogel Air Base was carrying six LAU-131A/A pods, which can supply the aircraft with 42 rounds of ammunition. At the time, the board also said the FZ275 was being tested alongside BAE Systems’ AGR-20F FALCO (Fixed Wing, Air Launched, Anti-Unmanned Aircraft System Ordnance) for the C-UAS role.

lessons from ukraine

Considering that the Belgian system will be used primarily across Europe, where lessons about asymmetric drone warfare have been learned from the Russia-Ukraine war, an overview of that conflict is necessary.

Cost asymmetries still exist, as we’ve noted in previous reports about large platforms using cost-effective weapons like laser-guided rockets or helicopters’ mounted guns to counter smaller asymmetric threats. In fact, while launch platforms are worth tens of millions of dollars, drones cost less than $50,000, with some ultra-low-cost drones deployed by Ukraine and Russia priced in the $5,000 to $10,000 range.

Airbus’ Bird of Prey interceptor drone, which fires Mark-1 air-to-air missiles, is a more suitable option for the European theater if NATO countries adopt the system. This is equivalent to the cost of launch platforms, weapons and unmanned targets.

Only Ukraine, with its measures such as traditional ground-based anti-aircraft artillery, interceptor drones and electronic warfare, has significantly lowered the cost of intercepting Russian OWA UAVs. In some cases, Ukraine even reversed cost asymmetries, including shooting down Russia’s prized Kamov Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter with an FPV drone, a video released on March 20 showed.

Another video from late April shows Ukrainian FPVs destroying Russian Mi-17 and Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopters on the ground in a fight over Voronezh, 150km from the front line. The latest move was to mount a similar interceptor drone, the P1-Sun, on an older Antonov An-28 turboprop aircraft to hunt Russian Teutonics at night.

Ukraine has also used large-scale means such as F-16s armed with APKWS and French Mirage 2000s to shoot down long-range cruise missiles from Russian drones. Completely asymmetric means, such as small interceptor drones such as the Sting, launched from both ground and air, appear to be the primary countermeasure against drones and have also been responsible for downing several Geran-type One-Way Attack (OWA) drones armed with R-60 AAMs.