This is indeed to save on more expensive missiles. A very cheap missile, the APKWS, is augmented with a cheap laser guidance kit to make the APKWS II, a cheap short range air-to-air missile.

APKWS II isn't useful for counter-manoeuvring targets like fighter jets, but it is perfect for one way drones. The Hydra 70 rocket it is build from doesn't have the range by itself to protect a wide area, but an F-15E can carry a number of 7-rocket pods, and has the speed to chase down drones and cruise missiles over a wide area, like a hummingbird zipping between flowers. Depending on loadout restrictions due to fuel tanks, an F-15E could employ 42 APKWS II and a mix of short range (AIM-9X) and medium range (AMRAAM).

All of this requires airborne cueing, which is why the loss of the E3 Sentry is so serious.

https://www.twz.com/air/f-15e-spotted-packing-big-laser-guid...

▲

defrost 9 hours ago | parent [-]

Great, so now the US is going to lean ever harder on the Australian E-7 Wedgetail's all while Trump continues to drag allies and not own up to his colossal misstep.

	▲	angry_octet 9 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yes, the US is highly dependent on the single E-7 at present. It has a much better RADAR than the old Sentry as well, especially for picking out low flying missiles against sea clutter. Obviously it can't be in the air at all times, but I understand from OSINT that many of the Shaheds are launched at night. The ground location of the Wedgetail is obviously something the Iranians would love to know, in which case they would saturate it will ballistic missiles and it would be a race to get it in the air. I expect it moves regularly but that would create significant logistical issues too. Unlike Patriot batteries, which can be heavily sandbagged and routinely shuffled between prepared positions, a 737 on the tarmac is incredibly vulnerable.