US Army Air Defence systems

Short-Range Air Defense Back In Demand

The Army is looking at placing more short-range air-defense capabilities in brigade combat teams (BCT).

For more than two decades, the Army has neglected the short-range threat and focused instead on missiles, said Maj. Gen. John G. Rossi, commanding general of the U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He was part of a panel discussion, Feb. 11, at a day-long Association of the U.S. Army-sponsored Hot Topics forum on Air and Missile Defense.

Desert Storm, 25 years ago, brought the Patriot missile defense systems into prominence, Rossi said. "As we made Patriot better and we focused on it, in essence the Air Defense community migrated to what became a point-defense branch, a missile defense branch," Rossi said.

NO 'A' IN MISSILE DEFENSE?

"We took the 'A' out of Air and Missile Defense in many ways," he said. "We didn't think we really needed to focus on it."

SHORAD or Short-Range Air Defense battalions were deactivated. "We took all short-range air defense out of the architecture as we focused on missile defense," Rossi said, adding "that's caught up to us."

Now the proliferation of small, unmanned aircraft is forcing commanders to reassess the need for SHORAD capabilities to combat low-altitude threats.

"We've got to find a game changer," Rossi said, alluding to the need to find more affordable and lethal air-defense systems.

"We have to change the scenario or change the equation so it's more costly to attack than to defend," he said. "We've got to build to the future."

CMIN EXPERIMENTATION

The Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Mobile Integrated capability, or CMIN, is among systems being researched for the future.

"We already demonstrated this a year ago at Fort Bliss and we're going back again now for the [Network Integration Evaluation] in the spring," Rossi said about testing CMIN at the Network Integration Evaluation at Fort Bliss, Texas.

CMIN uses a Q-50 radar to find incoming UAS, he said. The AN/TPQ-50 counter-fire radar was developed by the field artillery community to detect incoming rounds and calculate their trajectory.

Once radar spots the UAS and they are identified, then CMIN has both non-lethal and kinetic tools to stop them, Rossi said.

Other innovations being researched to boost air defense include new sensors and a hypervelocity gun.

The hypervelocity gun weapons system uses a 155mm projectile in an air defense mode, Rossi said.

It's a good example of what he called "cross-domain expansion," merging field artillery and air defense artillery platforms.

CROSS-DOMAIN EXPANSION

Cross-domain expansion uses existing platforms in new ways, Rossi said, and is an important part of the Army Operating Concept.

A battle-tested example of this is the C-RAM, he said. C-RAM stands for Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system. It was adapted from the Navy Phalanx weapons system and was sent to Iraq for the protection of large forward operating bases such as Camp Victory and Joint Base Balad.

"The neat thing about the C-RAM is it was cross-branch -- FA radars, ADA, aviation all put into one," Rossi said. "It was cross-service -- it was Army and Navy-ran, and it was cross-compo -- active and Guard."

Such efforts are essential, Rossi said, especially as the Army gets smaller.

Rossi is not advocating more force structure to bolster air-defense capability in BCTs.

"What we're not going to do is bring back the SHORAD battalion and lay that on top of a BCT," he said. He explained that making a brigade larger would just detract from its expeditionary nature.

What he advocates instead is "multi-functional convergence" or merging select branch attributes.

"It can't be just ADA systems inside the portfolio of air defenders to solve this in isolation," he said.

'BACK INTO THE DIRT'

Air defenders need to work closely with everyone else in the maneuver force, said another member of the panel, Maj. Gen. Glenn A. Bramhall.

"I think we've lost just about a whole generation of knowledge base of how we work with the maneuver force," said Bramhall, commander of the 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

"One of the things we need to do is get back into the dirt -- get back into the maneuver forces and train their commanders on how do we integrate air defense, what does air defense offer... "

Getting back into the dirt means integrating Air and Missile Defense units into National Training Center rotations, the AMD leaders said.

It also means getting back to the basics of old-fashioned training such as how to employ camouflage netting over tactical vehicles to keep them from being spotted by aircraft, said Dr. David M. Markowitz, assistant deputy chief of staff for operations G-3/5/7. .

i was always wondering why US Military hasnt any SHORADS except Avenger system

US Army Fires Stinger From Multi-Mission Launcher in Test

The US Army announced that it fired a Stinger missile from its self-built Multi-Mission Launcher on Wednesday at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

The missile test was part of a demonstration of the service’s new ground-based Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2-Intercept (IFPC Inc 2-I) system to defeat unmanned aircraft systems, cruise missiles, rockets, artillery and mortars.

IFPC Inc 2-I will also use the Sentinel radar and the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) for its command and control which will reach initial operational capability in fiscal 2019.

Stingers were developed as a man-portable air defense infrared homing surface-to-air missile, but has been “adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground vehicles,” the Army said in a statement released Thursday.

The MML is also able to fire Raytheon's AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and Lockheed Martin's Longbow Hellfire missiles.

Other types of missiles will be tested at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, as part of an IFPC Inc 2-I engineering demonstration “in the coming weeks,” the Army said.

There are two prototypes of the MML which represent the first development of a major program by the government industrial base in more than 30 years, according to the statement.

The Army spent $119 million to build the prototypes, which includes owning the technical data rights. The cost of developing the system outside of the Army would have been about three times as much, according to information obtained during a tour with the acting Army secretary last week of the Aviation & Missile Research and Engineering Development Command (AMRDEC) at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, where one of the MMLs was on display.

The IFPC Inc 2-I is a joint effort between AMRDEC and the Army’s Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space’s Cruise Missile Defense Systems (CMDS) project office.

The Army plans to build six more MMLs in the engineering and manufacturing development phase at Letterkenny Army Depot.

Army developing new air defense system

The U.S. Army has been conducting a series of tests on the capabilities of a new air defense system in development.

The system is called the Integrated Fire Protection Capability Increment 2-Intercept, or IFPC Inc 2-I, which is to protect soldiers from aircraft, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, and artillery weapons, including rockets and mortars.

"If you go back and take a look at what has happened in terms of the threat over the last couple years you'll find that UAS systems and cruise missiles have really become a problem," said Col. Terrence Howard, program manager for Cruise Missile Defense Systems. "So we've got to introduce materiel solutions that can address multiple threats."

The IFPC Inc 2-I system under Army development is to integrate into the Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense system, or AIAMD, a networked air defense control system also currently going through testing at White Sands Missile Range in N.M., for a plug-and-fight capability using multiple systems and radars on a network to address whatever threat situation is encountered.

Several tests of IFPC Inc 2-I were held this month and last to demonstrate the system's ability to launch various missile types and its ability to connect to the AIAMD system and use its Integrated Battle Command System.

The IBCS is a computer system that allows a small number of soldiers to better manage and control a complex air defense network composed of different radars and missile systems.

"(It's about) integration of a lot of existing capability," said Tamera Adams, chief engineer with the Army's Cruise Missile Defense Systems projects. "It's kind of like if you're trying to put together a new stereo system in your house. You're buying speakers from this vendor, a turntable from another and a DVD player from another. You're trying to put them together to get the best capability for your house."

The Army's Multi-Mission Launcher, or MML, mounted onto a truck, is a visible feature of the new IFPC Inc 2-I. The launcher carries 15 modular missile launch tubes on a turret system. Tubes of the MML enable allow customization of the missile load.

During the testing of the system, Hellfire Longbow and AIM-9X Sidewinders utilizing the IBCS and sensor data from a Sentinel radar unit have been fired, The MML has also conducted a ballistic test of the Miniature Hit-to-Kill missile for use against rocket, artillery and mortar threats, the Army said.

IFPC Inc 2-I is a joint collaborative effort between the Army's Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space's Cruise Missile Defense Systems Project Office and the Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center.

US Army Buys 144 MSHORAD Air Defense Combat Vehicles with Rada Israeli Radar

After the decommissioning of the short-range Chaparel air defense missile system (MIM-72 missiles) in 1997 and the Hawk medium-range missile (MIM-23 missiles) in 2002, the only US ground forces (Regular Army, National Guard and Corps the Marine Corps, the ILC) remained the Patriot long-range air defense system and the Stinger MANPADS (there are a few exceptions, see the appendix; I also do not consider anti-missile defense equipment, such as THAAD or the purchased 2 Iron Dome batteries).



Thus, the only short-range vehicle was the Stinger (FIM-92 missiles, range 4,750 m for early models, up to 8,000 m for FIM-92E). Moreover, they were used from various platforms (and even in the air-to-air variant for arming helicopters, is not considered here):

• Actually Stinger MANPADS (MANPADS, Man-portable air-defense system).

• Short-range Avenger air defense system (AN / TWQ-1 Avenger) is a gyro-stabilized platform with 2 containers of 4 missiles each, and other equipment based on the M998 HMMWV jeep (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, also Humvee or Hummer), this variant Jeep called M1097 Avenger.

• Option air defense BMP M2 Bradley, the so-called. M6 Linebacker - M2A2, where the TOW ATGM was replaced with a container with 4 missiles. Entered service in 1997, all in this version were converted 99 BMP. But already in 2005-2006. with weapons removed, more precisely returned back to the configuration of conventional BMP.

• Universal PU MML (Multi-Mission Launcher), on trial since 2016

For example, in 2013, about 700 Avenger launchers, about 480 Patriots, and 1 NASAMS SAMs were in service.

Now the US Army intends to purchase 144 new short-range air defense systems MSHORAD (Mobile Short-Range Air Defense or MSL - Mobile SHORAD Launcher) using the same Stinger, this time based on the Stryker wheeled armored personnel carrier (8x8) . According to the plan, procurement is scheduled for 2020-2024, with the first 36 (2 battalions) already by the end of 2020. According to other data, 36 is the staff of one battalion, i.e. all 144 air defense systems will go into service with 4 battalions. The prototype was submitted back in August 2017 by development companies (Boeing and General Dynamics), but apparently it has changed significantly since then.

As can be seen in the picture, in addition to the container with 4 Stinger missiles, the armament of the new machine will include anti-tank systems with 2 Hellfire missiles (AGM-114 Hellfire), 30-mm M230LF cannon (version M230 Chain Gun, used on the AH-64 helicopter "Apache") and 7.62-mm machine gun coupled with it. It is possible to replace the "Stinger" on the AIM-9X "Sidewinder."

The radar, which is planned to be used on this machine, is MHR (Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar) of the Israeli company Rada. Each car will have 4 such radars installed, i.e. only 576, not counting the spare and training. Of course, the bulk will be released in the US (“Rada” has created its own branch there), but maybe some part or production of components will occur in Israel.

Appendix: other US short-range and medium-range air defense systems.

“Roland” is a French-German short-range air defense system (up to 8 km). The United States ordered this system in 1975, in 1979, the production of a rocket in the United States (MIM-115 Roland) was approved, but in 1981 it was decided to terminate the program. In total, until 1985, about 600 missiles were launched in the USA, and 27 air defense missile systems were purchased. It was planned to place them on the AC10 M109 chassis, but in the end they were limited to a stationary version, used for the defense of American bases in Germany. 1 battalion of these air defense systems was created, disbanded in September 1988.

ADATS (Air-Defense Anti-Tank System) is a universal anti-aircraft and anti-tank system of short range (up to 10 km) of the Swiss development. In 1988 she entered service with the Canadian Armed Forces (based on the M113A2 armored personnel carrier). The USA showed an interest in the system in 1985, regarding it as a replacement for Chaparel, it was planned to deploy the complex to the base of the BMD M2 Bradley. The USA managed to order in 1987 8 test systems, obtained in 1989-1990. The rocket received the designation MIM-146 ADATS in the USA. 562 rockets were ordered, then this number was reduced to 378. In 1992, the program (FAADS-LOS-FH) was curtailed.

"Rapier" (Rapier) - English short-range air defense system (up to 8.2 km). The United States never bought it, but in 1981 it financed the purchase of 32 air defense missile systems (delivered in 1983-1985) for the British Armed Forces, and they used them to defend American Air Force bases on their territory. In 1985, the United States financed the purchase of 14 air defense missile systems and 600 missiles for the Turkish Air Force (delivered in 1987-1989), respectively, for the defense of the US Air Force bases in Turkey.

The AIM-120 AMRAAM is a mid-range US air-to-air missile. In the land launch variant, the missile should be designated MIM-120, but this designation was not used, the missile was called SLAMRAAM or SL-AMRAAM (Surface Launched AMRAAM, range approximately 35 km for AIM-120A). Since 1995, the US Army has tested this missile in a missile defense version with a modified Hawks air defense missile system, then from the M998 HMMWV (so-called HUMRAAM — Hummer-AMRAAM) jeep. The HUMRAAM variant for the KMP received the designation CLAWS (Complimentary Low-Altitude Weapon System), it was considered as a replacement for “Hawk” and was developed since 2001, but in 2006 the program was canceled. And in 2011, the Army stopped the test program SLAMRAAM.

NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System) - Medium-range air defense systems (40 km) of the US-Norwegian development (1989-1993) to replace the Hawk. Uses AIM-120 missiles in TPK and American MPQ-64 Sentinel radar. Delivered to Norway (since 1994) and exported. Reached primary combat readiness in 1995 and full in 1998. In 2004, the United States ordered one such complex, retaining the abbreviation NASAMS, but changing its decryption to National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System. In 2005, PUs of this complex were deployed around the US capital, Washington.

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/3548989.html

Upcoming sale of Hungary anti-aircraft guided missiles AMRAAM-ER

On May 8, 2020, the US Department of Defense Agency for Defense Cooperation (DSCA) sent a notice to the US Congress on the planned upcoming sale of Hungary through the American program of intergovernmental foreign military sales (FMS) 60 Raytheon AIM-120C anti-aircraft guided missiles -7 / C-8 AMRAAM-ER for NASAMS, the Hungarian-acquired US-Norwegian anti-aircraft missile system. This shipment is approved by the US Department of State. The total cost of the proposed delivery will be $ 230 million, the delivery will also include four SATM-120S AMRAAM-ER training missiles, related equipment and technical support and training services.

Recall that earlier in August 2019, DSCA issued a notice of the planned upcoming sale of Hungary by FMS 180 standard medium-range air-to-air guided missiles Raytheon AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM with a total estimated cost of $ 500 million - also for use as anti-aircraft as part of NASAMS acquired by Hungary.

The AMRAAM-ER missiles now announced by Hungary are developed by Raytheon specifically for use as part of the NASAMS anti-aircraft missile variant of the RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) ship’s anti-aircraft guided missile with the installation of an active AIM-120C-7 / C missile homing radar on it -8 AMRAAM. This allowed to increase the firing range of SAMs when used as part of the NASAMS system up to 40 km (compared to 25 km using the AIM-120C AMRAAM series missiles). Field tests of AMRAAM-ER missiles as part of NASAMS were carried out in Norway in 2016, the start of mass production of AMRAAM-ER missiles was announced in 2019. Qatar became the first known customer of these missiles as part of NASAMS air defense systems in 2019. Hungary is likely to become their second well-known customer.

Hungary's intention to acquire a NASAMS ground-based anti-aircraft missile system manufactured by a consortium of the American corporation Raytheon Technologies and the Norwegian Kongsberg group became known in February 2019, and the total purchase price is estimated at about $ 1 billion. performed by NASAMS 2), with the acquisition of ground-based elements of the system (including launchers and components of the Raytheon AN / MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar system) directly from the Raytheon and Kongsberg consortium, and manufactured by Raytheon missiles AMRAAM and AMRAAM-ER - under an intergovernmental agreement with the United States in the framework of the American FMS mechanism. Previously, it was precisely such a procurement scheme for NASAMS air defense systems that resorted, in particular, to Qatar.

Earlier it was reported that the Norwegian government threatened to block the sale of NASAMS Hungarian air defense systems due to disagreements over the management of Norwegian financial investments in Hungary through EU funds.

NASAMS medium-range air defense systems (originally Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System, now stands for National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System), are jointly developed and manufactured by the Norwegian group Kongsberg (serving as an air defense system integrator) and the American corporation Raytheon Technologies. The system is based on the combination of the AN / MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar and the use of air-to-air missiles with active radar homing of the AIM-120 AMRAAM family as missiles. The firing range of the system in a modern NASAMS 2 configuration using AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles is up to 25 km, and the reach in height is up to 14-15 km.
Initially, the NASAMS system was created in the interests of the Norwegian armed forces, and now it is in service in Norway and in small quantities in the United States (where this air defense system has been used since 2004 for Washington air defense). The system has also been acquired by the Netherlands, Spain, Chile, Finland, Oman, Lithuania, Indonesia and Qatar, and is planned for purchase by Australia and India.

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4020760.html

Photo: US Army Tests New Low-Cost Anti-Air Missile as Alternative to Costly Patriots

The US Army has tested a new surface-to-air missile (SAM) designed to fill the gap between shoulder-fired weapons and large truck-mounted air defense batteries in both range and cost.

On Tuesday, the Aviation and Missile Center under the US Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) posted a photo on Twitter of a Low-Cost Extended Range Air Defense (Lower-AD) missile taking flight.

​The post described the Lower-AD as “an affordable interceptor intended to fill [the] capability gap between short range man-portable air defense systems and Patriot high performance interceptors.” However, it gave no information about the date or location of the test.

   According to Army documents from 2019, Lower-AD will have a range of more than 25 kilometers and will primarily be used against drones and subsonic cruise missiles, leaving the Patriot interceptor to focus on larger threats while also reaching far beyond what a man-portable system like the FIM-92 Stinger is capable of.

The Patriot system is technically capable of shooting down drones if they wander into its scope of fire, but there are several mitigating factors that make a specific anti-drone system desirable, such as cost and targeting ability.

   In September 2019, US Patriot systems in eastern Saudi Arabia were unable to engage a swarm of suicide drones that attacked two Saudi oil facilities because they approached so low to the horizon that the sky-scanning Patriot batteries, which were looking for ballistic missiles and high-flying threats, literally couldn’t spot them.

As a result, the facilities were heavily damaged and oil production in the world’s most productive country was dented for several days. Cruise missiles typically skim the surface, approaching their targets in a similar manner.

   However, even if a drone did wander into a part of the sky a Patriot battery’s radar could see, it’s not very cost-effective to waste a $3 million missile on a “quadcopter that cost 200 bucks from Amazon.com,” as US Army Gen. David Perkins, then commander of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, described one incident during a 2017 symposium.

According to The Drive’s The War Zone, the Army hopes the Lower-AD missiles will cost as little as $150,000 each.

While little mention has been made of what system will be firing the Lower-AD missiles, it seems likely, given the illustrations in extant Army materials, that the Multi-Mission Launcher being developed by the Army will carry them. The system has three rows of five missile tubes each, meaning not only would the missiles be more cost-effective for smaller threats, but also a single truck could carry almost four times as many missiles as the four-shot Patriot launchers do.

https://sputniknews.com/military/202011111081132240-photo-us-army-tests-new-low-cost-anti-air-missile-as-alternative-to-costly-patriots/

Israel Delivers First of Two Iron Dome Air Defense Radars to US

The US has taken delivery of the first of two Multi-Mission Radars (MMR), the powerful tracking system behind Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system. Washington bought two Iron Dome batteries from Israel to fill an urgent close-in air defense need.

According to a report by the Jerusalem Post, the US Army has received the first MMR from Israel’s Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), part of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense R&D. A second radar is due by February 2021.

The US has ordered two off-the-shelf Iron Dome batteries from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to fill an immediate short-range air defense (SHORAD) need. Built by ELTA Systems, the mobile radars use an active electronically scanned array (AESA) to produce a 3D picture of airspace with up to 1,100 individual targets out to distances of 470 kilometers, according to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. However, the Iron Dome’s missiles can only reach out to 70 kilometers.

The total package includes 12 missile launchers, two radars, two command centers and 240 missiles. The rest of the first battery was delivered in late September; the second is due by February 2021. The Pentagon had initially planned on ordering four systems, but after Jerusalem refused to provide the system’s source code, the order was pared back to just two batteries.

Without the source code, the Iron Dome cannot be integrated with other layers of US air defenses - an ability other US air defense systems have already demonstrated in Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) tests over the summer at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

However, IMDO chief Moshe Patel told Defense News in an interview published on Sunday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would be integrating the Iron Dome with the US network itself, since it uses many of the same air defense systems.

“All of our systems are fully interoperable, which means we can adapt Iron Dome interceptors, Iron Dome parts of batteries, and make them part of whatever the US Army will decide. For example, they’re going to use the IBCS, so they’re going to have the ability to connect those Iron Dome launchers and the interceptors to the IBCS,” Patel said. He mentioned the US Marine Corps was also interested in buying Iron Domes.

The US will be buying up several such SHORAD systems and holding a “shoot-off” at White Sands, according to Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology.

The IDF began using the Iron Dome in 2011 to intercept incoming rockets primarily launched toward Israel from the Gaza Strip. It is reported to have a 90% success rate.

https://sputniknews.com/military/202011091081106819-israel-delivers-first-of-two-iron-dome-air-defense-radars-to-us/

US Troops Stationed in Germany Train on New Anti-Air Variant of Stryker Armored Vehicle

The US has rushed development of several new short-range anti-air systems to address the rising threat posed by drones and close a key gap in US air defenses, which have long prioritized taking down ballistic missiles.

A group of US troops in Germany has traveled to New Mexico’s White Sands Missile Range to test out the Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) system currently in development. The range conducted live-fire tests with the IM-SHORAD over the summer as part of its Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) drills intended to link up various US anti-air assets.

“The reason why this platoon is out here from Germany is we’ll be fielding the first system into the Army, so it not only gets us to test the system, but also understand how to use it so we can go back to our home unit and train with them on the system,” 1st Lt. Ryan Pitcher, the unit’s platoon leader, said in a US Army news release.

The 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment based in Ansbach, Germany, presently uses the Humvee-based Avenger system that IM-SHORAD is intended to replace. That makes their thoughts on how well the system is designed and operates invaluable while the vehicle remains in the prototype phase.

The IM-SHORAD isn’t totally different from the Avenger. Mounted on one of the Stryker wheeled armored vehicles already in use by US Forces Europe, the system includes a 360-degree Avenger air defense turret sporting FIM-92 Stinger and AGM-114 Longbow Hellfire missiles as well as an XM914 30-millimeter cannon and a 7.62-millimeter machine gun. However, the vehicle also carries its own radar and doesn’t take the cumbersome time the Avenger does to set up and pack up, which increases its survivability.

The Army recently signed a $1.2 billion contract with General Dynamics Land Systems to produce, test, and deliver 28 Stryker IM-SHORADs, and in the longer run, the service wants 144 systems spread across four battalions by 2023.

IM-SHORAD is just one of a host of short-range air defense systems under development by the Pentagon in the wake of a devastating drone attack on two Saudi oil facilities in September 2019. When the Army’s Patriot air defense systems were unable to engage the swarm of suicide drones the Yemeni Houthi movement claimed responsibility for launching, it opened eyes at the Pentagon, which set out to develop as many as five anti-drone systems in 2020, including IM-SHORAD but also laser systems and even jamming devices.

IM-SHORAD will not be the weapon’s name forever, though. Task & Purpose reported earlier this year that an online poll would decide which of several potential names the vehicle might get, with one of them reportedly being “Manticore” after the fictional missile-armed tank from the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop gaming franchise.

https://sputniknews.com/military/202011241081263462-us-troops-stationed-in-germany-train-on-new-anti-air-variant-of-stryker-armored-vehicle/

The US Army has received the second battery of the Israeli air defense complex "Iron Dome"

Earlier, the Pentagon said that the Israeli "Iron Dome" system could be adopted by the American army due to the failure of the program to create its own air defense system based on the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.

https://en.topwar.ru/178724-armija-ssha-poluchila-na-vooruzhenie-vtoruju-batareju-izrailskogo-kompleksa-pvo-zheleznyj-kupol.html

The 5th Battalion of the 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADA) of the 10th Air Defense Army of the European Command of the US Armed Forces, stationed in Germany, received new short-range air defense combat vehicles M-SHORAD. Earlier it was reported that the US army plans to purchase 144 short-range air defense combat vehicles M-SHORAD (Mobile Short-Range Air Defense or MSL - Mobile SHORAD Launcher). on the chassis of a wheeled armored personnel carrier (8x8) "Stryker".
In addition to the container with 4 Stinger missiles, the armament of the new vehicle includes an ATGM with 2 Helfire missiles (AGM-114 Hellfire), a 30-mm M230LF cannon (a variant of the M230 Chain Gun used on the AH-64 Apache helicopter) and a twin with her 7.62 mm machine gun. It is possible to replace the Stinger with the AIM-9X Sidewinder.




https://dambiev.livejournal.com/2300874.html

It is really kinda sad... when Russia needs a new air defence vehicle, sure they do sometimes reuse existing weapons... many of their ATGMs are dual use and can be used against aircraft too... but when the US decides on a new air defence vehicle they put four stingers and some Hellfires and a totally unsuitable 30mm cannon on a wheeled vehicle.

The wheeled vehicle is good for mobility and to keep costs down, but the 30mm is essentially a low velocity cannon or very high velocity grenade launcher... against targets on the ground it is excellent... velocity does not matter, rate of fire does not matter... shell weight and the amount of HE in each shell matters for ground targets.

Not a good combination for air targets though.

But then they have a history of being half arsed when it comes to air defence vehicles... the Sgt York SPAAG was 40mm bofors guns in an M48 tank with the radar from an F-18 Hornet all cobbled together...

But as mentioned above... their army have been spoiled and has never needed to defend itself from enemy air power, and lets face facts that isn't going to change any time soon because the US is very selective who they take on.

The point is that with the proliferation of drones... anyone can buy some and turn them in to effective weapons... and air power is not ideal against drones... they are too small and too slow and not enough IR or Radar signature to be able to pick up from great distances in fighter planes.

Scrambling an F-35 to intercept a $50 drone is wasteful to the point even the US wont do that...

But drones are a reality, so don't think of this as being an air defence vehicle to shoot down Su-25s or Mi-28s or Ka-52s... this is an anti drone vehicle... presumably they have airburst fuses for their 30mm cannon or it makes little sense...

Note it has Stingers instead of Sidewinders because Stingers would be enough most of the time.

Sorry Israel, Iron Dome only good enough for an interim solution.


The US Army appears to have selected Dynetics as the preferred contractor for its program to field an enduring solution for drone and cruise missile defense.

Leidos-owned Dynetics was selected over the Rafael and Raytheon Technologies team, who were pitching the Iron Dome system and Tamir interceptors for the program, Defense News reported citing sources.

The army made the decision after completing a shoot-off between the Iron Dome and the Dynetics system. Dynetics unveiled first graphics of the system last year but provided very little detail about the system, saying only it was derived from previous army science and technology programs.

The report on the choice of the preferred contractor comes after the army completed the first live-fire trial of one of the two Iron Dome batteries it bought from Israel in 2019 as an interim cruise missile defense solution.

Iron Dome will serve as the army’s cruise missile defense solution until the service readies IFPC for service.

The US Army is also working with Dynetics on developing a directed energy weapon that will have its power increased from a 100 kW-class system to a 300kW-class system, as part of the indirect fires protection capability – high energy laser (IFPC-HEL) endeavor.




https://defbrief.com/2021/08/25/us-army-goes-with-dynetics-for-indirect-fires-protection-capability-solution/

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has chosen Leidos-owned Dynetics to build prototypes for its enduring system to counter both drone and cruise missile threats, sources tell Defense News.

The decision comes after the service held a shoot-off that pitted Dynetics against a Rafael and Raytheon Technologies team.

The Army and Dynetics did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Rafael and Raytheon deferred comment to the Army.

Israeli-based Rafael and Raytheon offered up the Iron Dome launcher and Tamir interceptor (known as SkyHunter in the U.S.), while Huntsville-based Dynetics brought a launcher based off the Army’s internally developed, but later canceled Multi-Mission Launcher along with the Raytheon-produced AIM-9X Sidewinder interceptor.

The Army originally planned to develop and field its own multi-mission launcher as part of the enduring solution, but canceled that program in favor of finding a more technologically mature launcher.

Both teams had a chance to bring launcher and interceptor combinations to shoot against threat representative targets at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, earlier this year.

The Army is using Iron Dome as an interim cruise missile defense capability as it works to adopt an enduring Indirect Fires Protection Capability, or IFPC, system that will initially be able to counter unmanned aircraft and cruise missile threats and later be able to take out rockets, artillery and mortars.

The service intends IFPC to protect critical fixed- or semi-fixed assets and to be a more mobile solution than one that would suffice at a forward operating base. The system is planned to bridge the gap between short-range air defense systems, the Patriot air-and-missile defense system and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.

The Army has been trying to formulate its enduring IFPC system for several years. In the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress mandated the service buy two Iron Dome batteries, produced through a partnership between Rafael and Raytheon, to serve as an interim solution for cruise missile defense. Those batteries have been delivered to units and are on track to be deemed operational by the end of the year.

Iron Dome this month completed a live-fire event, operated for the first time entirely by U.S. soldiers. The Army deemed that test a success with the units engaging eight cruise missile surrogate targets.

According to the IFPC solicitation to industry, the Army wanted solutions that could tie into current and future versions of the Sentinel radar and be integrated with the service’s Integrated Battle Command System, or IBCS.

The Army plans to develop, qualify and deliver “fieldable prototypes” to enter into testing and support combat capability by FY23.

A single offeror would build prototypes, with a period of performance beginning in August 2021 and ending March 2024. This offeror would need to deliver prototypes for testing by the fourth quarter of FY22 and a complete system that can integrate with IBCS by the third quarter of FY23.

Following the prototyping phase, the Army may initiate a follow-on production contract for 400 launchers and associated interceptors, according to the solicitation.

According to the service’s solicitation, it planned to select the proposal “that is most advantageous and represents the best value to the [U.S. government] based on an integrated assessment of the evaluation results.”

More specifically, the Army said, whether proposals met capability requirements to counter UAS and cruise missiles was more important than countering RAM threats. Schedule and price were also factors the Army would consider, but ranked lower in priority, the solicitation noted.

“Capability is more important than schedule. Schedule is more important than price,” the solicitation stated. “However, price may be used as the determining factor when ratings of acceptable proposals are closely grouped.”

The Army planned to judge the systems’ lethality at required keep-out ranges as most important, followed by its ability to provide 360-degree coverage of a defended area. Then, in order of importance, the number of stowed kills, target service rate, load and reload time, the amount of time it takes to emplace the system, and operational availability — which factors in reliability and maintainability — were to be weighed in the decision-making process.

The service planned to also evaluate proposals based on how well they’d support future RAM capabilities.

Dynetics has relevant experience designing launchers — from its history on the Army’s MML program to current efforts to build the launcher for the Army’s ground-launched hypersonic missile. Dynetics is also building the first glide bodies for those hypersonic missiles.

According to FY22 Pentagon budget documents, the AIM-9X missile’s price tag has gone up from roughly $350,000 per missile in FY20 when the department bought 846 interceptors to roughly $500,000 per shot in FY22 when DoD plans to spend $250.8 million on 421 interceptors. The Tamir missile’s unit cost is $189,000, according to Army FY22 budget justification books.

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2021/08/24/heres-who-the-us-army-has-tapped-to-build-an-enduring-capability-to-counter-drones-and-cruise-missiles/

The US is testing ground based launch platforms for their latest SM-6 missiles.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42712/the-army-plans-to-fire-its-version-of-the-navys-sm-6-missile-from-this-launcher

The U.S. Army has released a graphic showing the various components it expects to be part of its first operational "Mid-Range Capability" battery, which will be able to employ ground-launched SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles. Most notably, it shows the unit will have four trailer-mounted, multipurpose launchers that are similar, if not identical, to one the Pentagon used to conduct a test of a land-based Tomahawk two years ago. A derivative of that same launcher, which is based on the U.S. Navy's Mk 41 Vertical Launch System design, was tested on an unmanned surface vessel earlier this year.

Hipersonic supa dupa missile.

Hole wrote:Isn´t this version of the SM-6 for ground attack?

Hm reading up on the subject maybe it is. It just took for granted that the Tomahawk was the alternative for that.
They both missiles are going to use the same platform it seems anyway.