Helicopters rule the skies in Rust until somebody on the ground pulls out a Homing Missile Launcher. It is the only handheld weapon in the game that locks on to aircraft and steers a missile into them, and two hits are enough to drop a Minicopter or an Attack Helicopter.
This homing missile launcher Rust guide covers the exact recipe, the Homing Missile ammo, how lock-on really works, how many missiles every helicopter takes, how flares beat it, where to loot one, and how it stacks up against the Rocket Launcher and SAM sites.
What Is the Homing Missile Launcher in Rust?
The Homing Missile Launcher came out with the Airborne update on 7 September 2023, the same patch that added the Attack Helicopter, parachutes and flares. Facepunch built it as the ground counter to aircraft, so a group with a heli no longer owns the map unchallenged.
The in-game description says it all: “An active-guidance homing missile launcher. Once launched, the target must be tracked by the launcher until impact. Can be distracted by flares.” In the game files it is homingmissile.launcher with item ID -218009552, and you can look up every other ID in our Rust item IDs list.
It only locks on to helicopters: the Minicopter, the Scrap Transport Helicopter, the Attack Helicopter and the NPC Patrol Helicopter. It cannot lock on to players, bases, boats, cars, the Hot Air Balloon or the Chinook, so it is a dedicated anti-air tool rather than a raid weapon.
How to Craft a Homing Missile Launcher
You need the blueprint first. Put a launcher in a Research Table for 100 scrap, or unlock it on the Workbench 2 branch of the tech tree. Researching a looted one is far cheaper, because the full tree path to the launcher adds up to about 21 Blueprint Pages.
| Stat | Homing Missile Launcher |
|---|---|
| Recipe | 20 High Quality Metal, 3 Metal Pipes, 1 Tech Trash, 1 CCTV Camera |
| Workbench | Workbench Level 2 |
| Craft time | 25 s at Workbench 2, faster at Workbench 3 |
| Research | 100 scrap (Research Table or tech tree node) |
| Ammo | Homing Missile only, 1 loaded at a time |
| Lock-on | About 4 seconds, line of sight, roughly 350 m |
| Durability | About 10 launches before it needs a repair |
| Repair (Repair Bench) | 7 HQM, 20% condition loss |
| Recycles into | 10 HQM, 1 pipe (50% chance of a 2nd), 50% tech trash, 50% CCTV camera |
| Stack / despawn | 1 / 40 minutes |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Short name / ID | homingmissile.launcher / -218009552 |
The CCTV camera is the part most players run short on. You get them from military crates, elite crates and by recycling components, while tech trash shows up in the same high-tier crates. If you loot a spare launcher and already know the blueprint, the recycler turns it back into 10 HQM and a pipe.
On a server where you have admin, you can spawn one in with the F1 console:
inventory.give homingmissile.launcher 1Every other spawn command is in our Rust console commands list.
Homing Missile: The Ammo
The launcher fires one thing: the Homing Missile (ammo.rocket.seeker, ID 1296788329). It does not fit the regular Rocket Launcher, and normal rockets, HV rockets and incendiary rockets do not fit the homing launcher.
| Stat | Homing Missile |
|---|---|
| Recipe | 2 Metal Pipes, 100 Gun Powder, 1 Tech Trash |
| Yield | 2 missiles per craft |
| Workbench / time | Workbench Level 2, 10 s |
| Research | 100 scrap |
| Sulfur per missile | About 100 (50 gun powder) |
| Stack size | 4 |
| Recycles into | 25 gun powder, 50% metal pipe, 25% tech trash |
At 100 sulfur a missile, killing a Minicopter costs about 200 sulfur, a fraction of the 2,800 sulfur two normal rockets would cost. The real price is the metal pipe and half a tech trash in every missile, so stock up on components before you plan to fight for the sky. You can see how it compares with every other round in the Rust ammo chart.
How to Use the Homing Missile Launcher
- Load a missile. The launcher holds one, and you cannot reload while a missile is still in the air.
- Aim at the helicopter. Hold your crosshair on it. A lock-on bar fills and a tone plays. It takes about 4 seconds.
- Keep line of sight. A tree, rock or building between you and the target breaks the lock. Lock-on works out to roughly 350 metres.
- Fire, then keep tracking. This is the part most players get wrong. The missile is guided by your aim, so if you look away, switch weapons or reload, it flies off course.
- Watch for flares. The pilot hears a warning the moment you fire, and a flare can pull your missile away. Wait for them to burn their flares, then lock again.
How Many Homing Missiles to Destroy Each Helicopter
| Target | Homing Missiles | Sulfur | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minicopter | 2 | 200 | Passengers can throw handheld flares |
| Attack Helicopter | 2 | 200 | Has a flare button and up to 30 flares |
| Scrap Transport Helicopter | 4 | 400 | Pilot drops flares from a flare port |
| Patrol Helicopter | 4 | 400 | Fires flares automatically at every missile |
| Hot Air Balloon | Cannot lock | – | Use HV rockets instead (8) |
| Chinook | Cannot lock | – | Not a valid target |
These counts are for a full-health aircraft. A Minicopter that already took rifle fire or a bad landing may drop to one missile. The Patrol Helicopter is the hardest by far: it spits flares the moment you launch, so most missiles miss. The rifle and HV rocket are still the more reliable way to take it down.
Flares: The Counter to Homing Missiles
Flares came out in the same update, and they are the reason a homing missile is not an instant kill. A burning flare is a stronger heat source than the helicopter, so the missile chases the flare instead.
- Attack Helicopter: the pilot drops flares with the secondary fire key (right mouse by default). It carries up to 30.
- Minicopter and Scrap Transport Helicopter: any passenger can throw a handheld flare out of the aircraft.
- Patrol Helicopter: fires flares on its own every time you launch.
A handheld Flare crafts at a Workbench 1 from 10 gun powder and 10 metal fragments, research 20 scrap, and stacks to 5. Scientists drop them all the time. If you fly anything, carry a stack.
Where to Find a Homing Missile Launcher
| Source | Chance | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mission loot box | 1.6% | Rewards from NPC missions |
| Locked Crate | 1.3% | Chinook drops, Oil Rigs, ghost ships |
| Elite Crate | 0.8% (1-2) | Launch Site, Military Tunnels, Underwater Labs |
| Military Crate | 0.4% | Tier 2 and 3 monuments, train wagons |
| Roaming Scientist (NVG) | 0.3% | Roaming the map |
| Most other scientists | 0.1% | Monuments, Cargo Ship, Oil Rig, Bradley |
Homing Missiles also turn up in the rocket bundles that drop from Bradley crates. For the full loot picture, see our Rust loot tables.
Homing Missile Launcher vs Rocket Launcher vs SAM Site
| Homing Missile Launcher | Rocket Launcher | SAM Site | MLRS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Get it | Craft WB2 (20 HQM, 3 pipes, tech trash, CCTV) | Craft WB2 (40 HQM, 4 pipes) | Buy at Outpost | Abandoned Military Base |
| Ammo | Homing Missile | Rocket, HV, Incendiary | SAM Ammo | MLRS Rockets |
| Targets | Helicopters only | Bases, vehicles, players | Player aircraft near your base | Map-wide strikes |
| Minicopter | 2 missiles | 2 rockets / 3 HV | Automatic | 1 rocket |
| Best for | Shooting helis down anywhere | Raiding | Base air defence | Raiding from range |
If you are raiding, take the Rocket Launcher. If a heli group keeps landing on your roof, a SAM Site guards the base while you sleep. The Homing Missile Launcher is the one you carry with you, to the Oil Rig, to Cargo or anywhere a heli is likely to swoop in. HV rockets can hit a slow or hovering heli too, but they fly straight, so a moving one is hard to tag.
Homing Missile Launcher Tips
- Carry at least 4 missiles. Two for the kill and two for when the first one eats a flare.
- Fight from cover. The heli crew can see the launch, and an Attack Helicopter has a nose gun and rockets of its own.
- Pair up. One player locks and fires while a teammate with a rifle punishes the pilot when they dodge low.
- Hold it at monuments. Oil Rigs, Cargo and Launch Site are where heli groups land, so that is where a launcher pays off.
- Pilots: fly low and carry flares. Terrain breaks line of sight, and a flare at the warning tone saves the aircraft.
- Do not waste it on bases. It cannot lock on to buildings. For raids, see the Rust raid chart.
Planning around a wipe? Check when the next Rust force wipe is, because every blueprint you learn, including this one, can reset with it.
Homing Missile Launcher FAQ
How do you craft a homing missile launcher in Rust?
Craft it at a Workbench 2 from 20 high quality metal, 3 metal pipes, 1 tech trash and 1 CCTV camera. You need the blueprint first, which costs 100 scrap at a Research Table.
How do you lock on with the homing missile launcher?
Load a Homing Missile and hold your aim on a helicopter for about 4 seconds until the lock-on bar fills, then fire and keep aiming at the target until the missile hits. Looking away, switching weapons or reloading breaks the guidance.
How many homing missiles does it take to kill a minicopter?
2 Homing Missiles destroy a full-health Minicopter or Attack Helicopter. A Scrap Transport Helicopter and the Patrol Helicopter take 4.
What ammo does the homing missile launcher use?
Only Homing Missiles. Two missiles craft at a Workbench 2 from 2 metal pipes, 100 gun powder and 1 tech trash. Normal, HV and incendiary rockets do not fit it.
Can the homing missile launcher hit players or bases?
No. It only locks on to helicopters: the Minicopter, Scrap Transport Helicopter, Attack Helicopter and Patrol Helicopter. It cannot lock on to players, buildings, ground vehicles, boats, the Hot Air Balloon or the Chinook.
How do you counter homing missiles in Rust?
Use flares. The Attack Helicopter pilot drops them with the secondary fire key, and passengers in a Minicopter or Scrap Transport Helicopter can throw handheld flares. Flying low behind terrain also breaks the shooter’s line of sight.
Where can I find a homing missile launcher in Rust?
Mission loot boxes have about a 1.6% chance, locked crates 1.3%, elite crates 0.8% and military crates 0.4%. Scientists drop one 0.1% to 0.3% of the time.
How much scrap is the homing missile launcher blueprint?
100 scrap at a Research Table. Unlocking it through the Workbench 2 tech tree costs much more because of the nodes before it, about 21 Blueprint Pages for the full path.
When was the homing missile launcher added to Rust?
It was added in the Airborne update on 7 September 2023, together with the Attack Helicopter, parachutes and flares.