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The State Department has approved a possible $2 billion deal to sell up to 20,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS II) laser guidance kits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The approval for these munitions comes as Iran is increasing attacks on nations hosting U.S. troops in the Middle East and tensions with the Houthi rebels of Yemen are heating up again. The air-to-air variant has become a critical cost effective weapon to shoot down large numbers of long-range one way attack drones and lower-end cruise missiles. Meanwhile, the air-to-ground variant provides extremely precise low-collateral strike capabilities against a wide variety of targets.

Saudi Arabia wants to buy 10,000 APKWS II air-to-air guidance sections and up to 10,000 air-to-ground guidance sections. The package includes an undisclosed number of LAU-131/A seven-shot 70mm rocket pods, Mk66 rocket motors, Mk-152 high explosive warheads and proximity fuzes.

All versions of the APKWS rocket are made up of three basic components: a laser guidance section inserted between one of a variety of warhead options and a standard 70mm rocket motor.

An air-to-air optimized variant, designated the AGR-20F and also referred to as the Fixed Wing, Air Launched, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ordnance (FALCO), was subsequently developed. The FALCO configuration includes a proximity fuze and changes to the munition’s guidance and sensing algorithms.

The deal does not include the rockets themselves, and the State Department notice does not say on which aircraft the Royal Saudi Air Force will carry these munitions. However, they will most likely be loaded onto the RSAF’s Eurofighter Typhoon and F-15SA fighter jets.

As we have previously reported, an air-to-air APKWS capability is being rapidly added to an increasing number of U.S. military aircraft. U.S. Air ForceF-15E Strike Eagle, F-16C Viper, and A-10 Warthog combat jets are known to be cleared to employ the weapon. The USMC’s legacy F/A-18 Hornets can also now use APKWS against aerial targets. Other types, like the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, will likely receive the munitions too. The Eurofighter Typhoon has been recently cleared to employ APKWS, as well.

TWZ was the first to report that U.S. Air Force F-16 Vipers were employing APKWS IIs, originally designed as air-to-ground munitions, as a lower-cost option for downing Houthi drones. Today, Ukrainian F-16s are employing APKWS against Russian drones.

APKWS, The Innovation Continues

As we noted earlier in this story, this all comes as Iran has been lobbing missiles and drones across the region in response to U.S. attacks. In addition, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis recently traded strikes on airports.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf Region,” the State Department said in a release. “The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to deter current and future threats by strengthening its homeland defense, and improving interoperability with U.S. forces, and other regional and NATO forces. The proposed sale will also augment Saudi Arabia’s operational aircraft and enhance its air-to-air, and air-to-ground self-defense capability. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and services into its armed forces.”

U.S. Air Force leaders have lauded the APKWS II system.

“It’s our primary weapon against a drone,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Derek France, head of Air Forces Central (AFCENT), the service’s top command in the Middle East, told us last year on the sidelines of the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2025 Air, Space, and Cyber Conference. “We’ve had multiple shoot-downs with it.”

Since then, APKWS has become the primary weapon system used by American fighters to shoot down Iran’s long-range one-way attack munitions, doing so for just a tiny fraction of the cost of the cheapest available air-to-air missile. The Saudis have the same use case and are keenly aware of just how expensive downing drones can be via a fighter platform after years of fighting the Houthis in Yemen. You can read all about this here. The APKWS II guidance section has a unit cost between $15,000 and $20,000, with the rocket motor and warhead adding a few thousand dollars more to the full price tag. Current generation AIM-120 air-to-air missiles cost around $1 million apiece, while the AIM-9X has a price point around $450,000.

With the APKWS being nearly plug-and-play on both the F-15SA and the Typhoon, the Saudis are clearly preparing to shoot down a lot of drones far more cheaply than in the past with their current fighter force.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

A French court ruling has reopened Marine Le Pen’s path to the 2027 presidential election by suspending the effect of her electoral ban while she appeals. But the far-right leader says she will not campaign while wearing an electronic monitoring tag. Al Jazeera’s Reem Takieddine explains.

Russian athletes could be allowed to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles after the International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted their suspension.

The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in 2023 in response to the war in Ukraine.

It says that ban is “no longer applicable” and athletes from Russia can compete again as long as they “meet relevant anti-doping requirements”.

No decision has yet been taken on whether Russia can display its flag, colours and anthem at the Olympic ‌Games.

Some Russian athletes competed at both the 2024 Paris Games and this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan as neutrals.

Russia welcomed the decision, saying the Games must be “free from politics”.

“The IOC is sending a clear signal: the Olympic movement must remain free from politics,” Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev said on Telegram, adding that Russia planned to participate in qualifiers for the 2028 Olympics.

More to follow.

Skaters from Russia and Belarus banned “exclusively in the interests of the safety of participants and the integrity of the competitions” can return to world championships and Grand Prix events next season.

The International Skating Union said Tuesday that the ban triggered by Russia’s 2022 military invasion of Ukraine is over. But skaters and officials from Russia and Belarus may compete only as neutral athletes, meaning without their national symbols of flag and anthem.

The figure skaters, speed skaters and short track speed skaters will be allowed to participate as long as they have not supported the war in Ukraine. A neutral skater is not eligible if they are in active service with the armed forces or a national security agency of Russia or Belarus; have taken active part in military operations in the war against Ukraine; and-or have actively and publicly supported that war.

In announcing the decision, the ISU council described the ban as a “protective measure” and emphasized that “those measures were expressly stated not to be a sanction, disciplinary measure or ineligibility decision.”

The war in Ukraine is in its fifth year since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022. According to Global Conflict Tracker, Russia occupies roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory and fighting persists with ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. Meanwhile, Ukraine has launched retaliatory drone strikes deep into Russian territory targeting energy and military infrastructure.

Nearly 56,000 civilians have died or been injured, while 3.7 million people are internally displaced. Through 2025, Ukraine had received about $188 billion in aid from the United States and $197 billion from the European Union.

“The ISU continues to condemn all armed conflict around the world,” the ISU said in a statement. “The ISU continues to provide financial support to Ukrainian skaters through various initiatives, including the ISU Development Program, contributions to the Ukrainian Skating Federation, and a support program for displaced skaters.”

The ISU council’s decision to lift the ban on Russian skaters took into account “developments across the Olympic Movement and the differing approaches of other International Federations.”

While acknowledging that the lifting of restrictions had given rise to occasional protests at competitions, the participation of neutral Russian and Belarusian athletes in 2025-2026 Olympic qualification events and at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games were completed “without related incident.”

Russian figure skaters Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik were cleared to compete with neutral status in Milan and both finished sixth in their events. Viktoriia Safonova of Belarus also competed as a neutral athlete.

“Skaters should not be held responsible for the actions of their governments,” the ISU posted. “Safety remains the guiding consideration for any further easing. The ISU will continue to monitor conditions at ISU events and will relax restrictions further only when satisfied that no safety or integrity issues arise, and reserves the right to reintroduce or increase restrictive measures should such issues emerge.”

Neutral athletes could face difficulty obtaining entry visas from countries hosting ISU events. The 2027 figure skating, short track and speed skating world championships will be hosted by Finland, South Korea and China, respectively.

The International Olympic Committee was instrumental in the ISU decision, advising sports bodies to readmit athletes from Belarus on May 7 without vetting for neutral status.