Can laser-guided rockets and light aircraft help tackle the CUAS cost-curve?
Portugal was the first European country to purchase the A-29N. (Photo: Embraer)
While the move to integrate lower-cost missiles onto more combat aircraft is long overdue, there is also an opportunity for cheaper turboprop platforms to perform CUAS roles.
Efforts to transform combat aircraft or light attack aircraft into effective counter-uncrewed aerial systems (CUAS) solutions have come to the fore in recent months, as armed forces grapple with how drones are changing the modern battlefield.
While multirole aircraft like F-35s have been used effectively to shoot down drones – shown recently with an RAF F-35 combat engagement over Jordan in March 2026 – one major issue that still faces industry and military forces is the cost imbalance posed by using such highly expensive platforms and missiles to destroy far cheaper uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).
James Black, deputy director – defence and
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