MSI-DS debuts a new gun mount made for the drone fight

British manufacturer MSI-Defence Systems unveiled a new remote weapon station called TERRAHAWK RAPTOR at the DVD 2026 exhibition in Millbrook, calling it the lightest gun mount in its counter-drone product line.

RAPTOR is a remote weapon station, a gun turret a soldier can aim and fire from inside a vehicle rather than exposing themselves on top of it. The system comes fitted with a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun, with an option to add a 40mm automatic grenade launcher, and MSI-DS built it specifically for countering drones rather than the ground-suppression role most remote weapon stations were originally designed for. Its compact size is meant to let it mount on tactical ground vehicles and uncrewed ground vehicles alike, using an open standard called Generic Vehicle Architecture that lets different vehicle systems share data without custom wiring for each installation.

The weapon station carries a multispectral sensor suite paired with an AI-enabled fire control system, which MSI-DS says can track, classify and engage both drones and ground targets while filtering out visual clutter that might otherwise confuse the system. RAPTOR is built to plug into multiple command-and-control systems, letting it operate as part of a larger, layered air defense network rather than only as a standalone gun.

“Conventionally speaking, RWS have been designed and deployed primarily for ground suppressive fire,” said David Codling, Business Development Director at MSI Defence Systems. “RAPTOR is different; we have designed and built an RWS optimised for the C-UAS fight in addition to class leading ground suppression and point fire.”

MSI-DS said it built RAPTOR in response to demand for specialist counter-drone systems roughly doubling across the UK, US and European markets. “The proliferation of explosive FPV and reconnaissance drones has necessitated armed forces to either retrofit legacy armoured vehicles or introduce new tactical units into the formation with lighter RWS,” said John Meldrum, Managing Director at MSI Defence Systems. “TERRAHAWK RAPTOR was designed to meet this need, and transform vehicle platforms into highly effective mobile air defence units capable of rapid response against swarming threats.”

RAPTOR extends a product family MSI-DS has built over more than 40 years of gunfire and remote weapon system work, spanning its Seahawk naval systems and its Terrahawk land line, which the company says is now used by more than 40 armed forces. An earlier Terrahawk variant, the Paladin, has already seen combat, with footage released in November 2025 showing Ukraine’s 156th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment operating the system against drone threats.

MSI-DS said future development will expand the RAPTOR architecture into a small modular launcher capable of firing interceptors, rockets and small missiles alongside its gun options.