U.S. Army seeks drone defense for its lightest units

The U.S. Army will brief defense companies in Huntsville, Alabama, on Oct. 27-28 about its plans for a new short-range air defense system built on a pallet that can be loaded onto almost any vehicle, giving light and fast-moving units their own protection against drones, helicopters and attack aircraft.

The industry day covers Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense Increment 4, or M-SHORAD Inc 4, and will be held at the Von Braun Center. The Army’s notice, posted Oct. 8, says the event is aimed mainly at companies that want to serve as the system integrator for development and production, though makers of sensors, weapons, turrets and command-and-control software are also invited. Companies must register by Oct. 23, and each is limited to three attendees.

According to the notice, M-SHORAD Inc 4 will be a self-contained, palletized system that is not tied to a specific vehicle. It is meant to protect the Army’s Joint Forcible Entry units, the airborne and air assault forces that seize ground first, and its new Mobile Brigade Combat Teams, which move on light vehicles, in both dismounted and mounted operations. The system is to defend against Group 1 to 3 drones, which range from small quadcopters up to aircraft weighing about 600 kg (1,320 pounds), as well as helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

The Army wants an open design so it can swap in different sensors, electronic warfare equipment and weapons as threats change. In a request for information published in March, the service described the system as a Self-Loading Equipment Dock, or SLED, or another pallet-based package that could be mounted on the Infantry Squad Vehicle or a robotic combat vehicle, and asked for solutions that could be delivered between fiscal 2027 and 2029.

Increment 4 is the lightest member of the M-SHORAD family. The first version, the Stryker-based M-SHORAD Increment 1, known as SGT Stout, carries Stinger and Hellfire missiles, a 30 mm cannon and a radar, and began reaching units in 2021. A laser-armed Increment 2 was canceled, and Increment 3 is set to upgrade the Stryker version with a new short-range interceptor and airburst 30 mm ammunition. The Army first asked industry for ideas on Increment 4 in May 2024, seeking air defense for dismounted troops that could fly on a C-130, be dropped by parachute and be slung under a helicopter.

Companies are already showing concepts. General Dynamics Land Systems will display its SLED-based Increment 4 system mounted on a Ford Ranger pickup at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington next week, the company said, in light, medium and heavy configurations.

The Army plans to reach initial operational capability with Increment 4 by late fiscal 2029, with the first units at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and requested $108.1 million in fiscal 2027 research and development funding for the effort, according to the Congressional Research Service. The industry day agenda includes a program overview, a keynote speaker, a joint panel and one-on-one sessions with companies, but the Army has not said when a formal solicitation will follow.