U.S. F-15E Fighter Jet Takes on New Drone-Killer Role Against Iranian UAV Attacks.

U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles expanded their combat role during Operation Epic Fury by combining long-range precision strikes with drone-interception missions against Iranian threats, showing how the heavy fighter can shift between offensive strike, air defense, and counter-UAS missions in the same campaign.

F-15Es were flying combat missions against Iran from the opening phase of the operation and remained active in the region months later. U.S. Central Command imagery showed a Strike Eagle departing for an Operation Epic Fury combat flight on March 16, 2026, while CENTCOM continued documenting F-15E operations in its area of responsibility into July.

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A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle conducts a combat air patrol over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The aircraft supports regional deterrence and air-defense missions and has taken on an expanded counter-drone role, including using APKWS II guided rockets against unmanned aerial threats. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War/Defense)

The U.S. Air Force F-15E’s long endurance, two-person crew, and heavy weapons capacity make it particularly well suited to missions requiring repeated engagements against dispersed aerial threats. During complex sorties, the pilot and weapons systems officer can divide navigation, sensor management, targeting, and threat-monitoring tasks, improving the aircraft’s ability to react to both ground targets and incoming drones.

A key development behind that expanded counter-drone role is the integration of the AGR-20F Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II, or APKWS II. The U.S. Air Force tested the laser-guided 70 mm rocket on the F-15E to provide a lower-cost counter-UAS weapon, giving Strike Eagle crews another option for engaging relatively slow, less maneuverable unmanned aircraft.

APKWS II is particularly relevant against Shahed-type one-way attack drones because it addresses both cost and magazine depth. Using AIM-9X Sidewinder or AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles against every incoming drone can quickly consume expensive weapons designed for more demanding aerial threats, while APKWS II lets aircraft engage suitable targets with a much smaller guided munition.

The system turns a standard 70 mm rocket into a precision weapon by adding a laser guidance section. For counter-UAS missions, that gives the F-15E a weapon it can carry in much larger numbers than conventional air-to-air missiles, potentially allowing a single aircraft to engage multiple drones during the same patrol.

The U.S. Air Force has tested the F-15E with as many as six LAU-131 launchers carrying 42 APKWS II rockets. Such a configuration significantly increases the number of available interceptors while still allowing the aircraft to retain conventional air-to-air missiles for more capable or higher-speed threats.

That mix is important because mass drone attacks create a different air-defense problem from traditional fighter or cruise-missile engagements. Relatively inexpensive one-way attack drones can arrive in large numbers, forcing defenders to balance the need to destroy each target against the limited number and high cost of conventional interceptors.

Fighter aircraft add a mobile defensive layer by meeting those drones before they reach fixed air-defense positions, military bases, or other high-value targets. In that role, the F-15E can use information from airborne and ground-based sensors to locate incoming threats and then employ APKWS II when the target, range, and engagement conditions are suitable.

The Iran campaign also demonstrated that the Strike Eagle continued performing its traditional precision-attack mission while operating in a heavily contested environment. CENTCOM confirmed that an F-15E was shot down during a combat mission over Iran on April 2, 2026, with both crew members subsequently recovered during separate rescue operations.

Earlier in the campaign, three additional F-15Es supporting Operation Epic Fury were lost over Kuwait on March 1 in what CENTCOM described as an apparent friendly-fire incident involving Kuwaiti air defenses. The incident occurred during active combat involving Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones, illustrating the complexity of the air-defense environment confronting coalition aircraft.

Survivability therefore remained another important aspect of F-15E operations. The U.S. Air Force has been installing the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System, or EPAWSS, which can detect, identify and locate hostile emitters while providing electronic countermeasures intended to degrade or disrupt threats.

The wider significance of APKWS II is that it gives the Strike Eagle a more sustainable way to participate in prolonged counter-drone operations without relying exclusively on high-end air-to-air missiles. By increasing the number of affordable guided interceptors available on each sortie, the weapon helps preserve more advanced missiles for aircraft, cruise missiles, and other threats requiring greater range or performance.

Iran Operation Epic Fury therefore highlights an evolving role for the U.S. Air Force F-15E beyond conventional deep strike. The Strike Eagle remains a heavy precision-attack fighter, but the addition of APKWS II increasingly allows it to serve as an airborne counter-UAS aircraft capable of helping defeat mass drone attacks while preserving its ability to conduct offensive missions.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.