Key Factors
- U.S. Central Command confirmed operational deployment of the EAGLS counter-drone system within the Center East after testing in the course of the Sky Defend train in Kuwait.
- The U.S. Navy beforehand ordered 5 EAGLS programs below a $24 million contract to offer laser-guided rocket-based air protection for deployed forces.
United States Central Command confirmed that American forces are working the Digital Superior Floor Launcher System (EAGLS), a cell counter-drone weapon designed to guard U.S. troops, following current testing and operational deployment within the Center East.
In a press release revealed on January 19, 2026, CENTCOM said that the system “counters drone threats with precision” and is constructed round a 70mm rocket launcher that makes use of laser-guided munitions, such because the Superior Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS). The command described EAGLS as an adaptable and cost-effective counter-unmanned plane system meant to defend forward-deployed models towards aerial threats.
The affirmation follows earlier testing of the system in the course of the Sky Defend air and missile protection train held in Kuwait in early December. The multinational train targeted on built-in air and missile protection and included dwell trials of programs designed to counter unmanned aerial autos, a menace that has more and more focused U.S. bases and convoys throughout the area.
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EAGLS is a comparatively new system developed by MSI Protection Options and has been fast-tracked into service below pressing operational necessities. The platform combines a quad-rail LAND-LGR4 launcher with laser-guided APKWS II rockets, permitting forces to have interaction drones at decrease value than conventional surface-to-air missiles whereas sustaining precision towards small and slow-moving targets.
As beforehand reported on April 17, 2024, the U.S. Navy urgently ordered the EAGLS Counter-Unmanned Aerial Methods to guard American forces within the Center East. The $24 million contract awarded to MSI Protection Options mirrored the speedy must counter increasing drone threats within the area. The EAGLS system is conceptually just like the VAMPIRE system equipped to Ukraine and integrates a remotely operated weapon station, an electro-optical and infrared sensor turret, and a compact AESA radar produced by Leonardo DRS.
The system’s sensor suite contains the DRS RPS-40 radar from Leonardo, which supplies goal detection at ranges of as much as 10 kilometers and permits speedy engagement of low-flying aerial threats. The mixture of radar, electro-optical monitoring, and laser steering permits EAGLS to function independently or as a part of a layered air protection community.
In line with U.S. Navy procurement knowledge, the preliminary contract coated the supply of 5 EAGLS programs, together with related assist and integration packages. The speedy procurement course of underscored considerations throughout the U.S. navy in regards to the vulnerability of ahead bases and logistics nodes to low-cost drones utilized by hostile teams.
The system is vehicle-mounted and designed for expeditionary operations, permitting it to maneuver with maneuver models or be positioned to defend mounted places akin to airfields, command posts, and provide hubs. By counting on laser-guided rockets as a substitute of radar-guided interceptors, EAGLS reduces the price per engagement and preserves high-end missiles for extra complicated threats.
CENTCOM didn’t disclose the precise places the place EAGLS is at the moment deployed, however the announcement confirms the system has moved past testing and into operational use below real-world situations.
