UAV shot down by F-16 in cruise missile defense test
NewsDecember 30, 2019
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. The U.S. Air Force 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron shot down a subscale unmanned aerial system (UAS) with an AGR-20A laser-guided rocket from an F-16 Fighting Falcon targeting pod in a cruise missile defense test.
Originally, the AGR-20A was developed as a low cost, low collateral damage air-to-ground weapon for use in Afghanistan and Iraq; adapting the system for counter-air use is momentous, according to the Air Force. The AGR-20A iless expensive than the AIM-120 missile, mostly used for cruise missile defense. Additionally, the AGR-20A can be loaded faster than an AIM-120 and an aircraft can carry two-to-three times the number weapons.
