U.S. Army’s sled air defense idea gets industry backers

Mooresville, North Carolina-based MSI Defense Solutions says its Self-Loading Equipment Deck, a removable mission pallet that can carry weapons and sensors on and off vehicles, appeared on several partner companies’ displays at this week’s Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting in Washington, including one built by General Dynamics Land Systems.

In a series of LinkedIn posts during the show, MSI described the SLED as part of its Common Deck family, a modular base meant to let partners integrate mission systems faster across different vehicles. The company did not say which General Dynamics Land Systems capability was mounted on its deck, how many other partners used it at the show, or whether any of the configurations are under contract.

“Our SLED (Self-Loading Equipment Deck), part of the Common Deck family, provides a modular foundation for integrating mission systems across different platforms and requirements,” MSI Defense Solutions said.

The idea behind a self-loading deck is that a small crew can lift a complete weapon or sensor package off one vehicle and onto another, or onto the ground, without a forklift or crane. Partner company 3SL, which showed an air defense version called the EAGLS SLED at the AUSA Global Force symposium in Huntsville in March, said that design lets three or four soldiers swap mission payloads in the field.

In a March 2026 request for information for Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense Increment 4, the U.S. Army said it wants an air defense package for light infantry built on a self-loading equipment deck that can ride on vehicles such as the Infantry Squad Vehicle and the uncrewed Robotic Combat Vehicle. The service specified that the deck must keep working independently once removed and that the carrier vehicle must return to full functionality without it, with fielding targeted for 2027 to 2029.

MSI, which moved from motorsports engineering into defense work in 2008, already sells an air defense system that fits that requirement’s description. Its EAGLS package uses laser-guided 70 mm rockets fitted with BAE Systems’ APKWS guidance kits to shoot down drones, and the company says on its website that it has delivered six EAGLS systems and fielded APKWS-equipped platforms to UK special operations forces and Ukrainian marines.

During the same week, MSI said in a separate post that it held talks with representatives from Kosovo about how its modular platforms and weapons integration work could support that country’s emerging defense requirements, though it did not describe any specific proposal.