Belgian F-16 Fighter Jets Trial FZ275 Laser-Guided Rockets for Counter-Drone Missions.

Belgium’s Air Component is testing Thales Belgium FZ275 laser-guided 70 mm rockets on F-16AM fighters after a heavily loaded jet was photographed returning to Kleine Brogel Air Base on February 27, 2026. The effort matters because Belgian defense officials say cheap attack drones are forcing air forces to find lower-cost intercept options than traditional surface-to-air systems or high-end missiles.

On March 11, 2026, fresh attention turned to a Belgian Air Force F-16AM photographed at Kleine Brogel Air Base carrying an unusually heavy 70 mm rocket load, highlighting Belgium’s effort to adapt its combat aviation to the growing threat posed by low-cost attack drones. The photograph, published by Tim VdB Photography after being taken on February 27, 2026, showed the aircraft returning from a training sortie with multiple rocket pods and visible Thales FZ275 rounds. The development gained further weight when Belgium’s Directorate General of Material Resources, or DGMR, publicly confirmed that the Belgian Air Force has been testing laser-guided 70 mm rockets, including the Belgian FZ275 LGR, for integration on F-16s since the beginning of this year. 

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Belgium is testing FZ275 laser-guided 70 mm rockets on its F-16AM fighters as a lower-cost way to counter the growing threat of cheap attack drones, a shift aimed at avoiding the high expense of traditional missile-based air defenses (Picture source: Tim VdB Photography / Thales Belgium)

What makes this development notable is not only the weapon itself but the configuration in which it appeared. The Belgian F-16AM was seen carrying six seven-round LAU-131-type 70 mm rocket pods mounted under the wings, creating a theoretical capacity of up to 42 rockets if fully loaded. That type of loadout points to a search for magazine depth against multiple slow or low-cost aerial targets rather than a classic fighter configuration centered on a limited number of expensive air-to-air missiles. In the photographed sortie, the aircraft was also seen with captive training air-to-air missiles, while a second F-16 in the formation reportedly carried a Sniper targeting pod, suggesting that the trials may also be exploring practical targeting concepts for airborne counter-UAS missions, although Belgian authorities have not publicly detailed the exact engagement method tested.

At the center of the Belgian effort is the FZ275 LGR, a 2.75-inch or 70 mm semi-active laser-guided rocket developed by Forges de Zeebrugge, today Thales Belgium. According to the manufacturer, the weapon has a range of roughly 1.5 km to 7 km, uses semi-active laser guidance, weighs 12.7 kg with a 4.1 kg warhead, and offers a circular error probable of less than one meter at 6 km. Thales Belgium presents it as a low-cost guided munition compatible with existing 70 mm rocket systems and suitable for both fixed-wing and rotary-wing use. These characteristics make it relevant not only for precision strike against light surface targets but also for a counter-drone mission in which a fighter needs a relatively affordable and precise interceptor against small and less survivable aerial threats.

Belgium is not limiting itself to a domestic solution. DGMR said the Air Force is also testing the American AGR-20F FALCO, a counter-UAS variant linked to the APKWS family. Technically, APKWS is not a completely new rocket but a guidance kit that converts unguided Hydra 70 rockets into precision-guided munitions. Recent U.S. work on the FALCO configuration has focused on adapting that concept to the airborne counter-drone mission, with program material describing a lower-cost solution intended for use in larger numbers against Group 3 unmanned aerial systems and drone swarms. Belgium’s parallel interest in both FZ275 and AGR-20F therefore shows a clear effort to compare or combine two weapons built around the same operational logic: transforming the 70 mm rocket into a practical and scalable answer to the drone threat.

From an operational point of view, the logic behind the trials is straightforward. Recent conflicts have shown that one-way attack drones and other low-cost unmanned systems can saturate defenses, force repeated launches, and impose an unfavorable cost exchange on the defender. DGMR explicitly referred to that problem in its public statement, stressing that inexpensive attack drones can inflict major damage while traditional air-defense responses are often extremely expensive. Testing guided 70 mm rockets on F-16s therefore reflects an attempt to create a more proportional airborne response, one that allows the aircraft to preserve higher-end air-to-air missiles for more demanding threats while still engaging drones with precision. For a country operating F-16s during its transition toward newer combat aircraft, this kind of adaptation also offers a way to extract additional operational value from an existing fighter fleet.

The tactical significance of such a loadout is considerable. A fighter armed with a large number of guided 70 mm rockets gains more engagement opportunities per sortie against multiple low-performance targets than one relying mainly on AIM-9 or AIM-120 class missiles. This does not turn the F-16 into a substitute for layered ground-based air defense, nor does it solve every part of the drone problem, especially against very small, very fast, or highly networked threats. However, it does give the aircraft a potentially useful role in defending airspace against certain categories of low-cost aerial attackers, particularly where speed of response, persistence in a patrol area, and the ability to carry many shots matter. In practical terms, Belgium appears to be exploring how a legacy multirole fighter can be repurposed as an airborne counter-drone platform without relying exclusively on weapons whose price far exceeds that of the target.

The strategic implications reach beyond one test campaign. Belgium’s choice to evaluate the Belgian-made FZ275 alongside an American alternative fits into a broader European defense trend shaped by the war in Ukraine and the growing importance of mass, affordability, and industrial resilience. The trials support not only the search for a better cost-per-intercept ratio but also the visibility of a Belgian industrial product in a market increasingly interested in sovereign or European-made counter-drone solutions. If the concept proves successful, the lesson will extend beyond the Belgian F-16 fleet itself: future air forces may increasingly expect combat aircraft to carry lower-cost precision interceptors for drone defense, rather than rely only on premium missiles designed for crewed aircraft or high-end cruise missile threats.

This test campaign sends a clear message about how air power is being forced to evolve. Faced with a battlefield where relatively cheap drones can generate disproportionate operational and financial pressure, Belgium is exploring a more sustainable answer by arming its F-16s with guided 70 mm rockets such as the FZ275 and evaluating APKWS-based alternatives in parallel. The photograph originated from Tim VdB Photography, but the significance of the story comes from the official direction now confirmed by DGMR: Belgium is working toward a future in which countering attack drones requires not only precision, but also affordability, magazine depth, and the ability to adapt legacy aircraft to new forms of air warfare.

Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.