Army fields M-SHORAD to first battalion

The Army has fielded the first four Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense systems to a regiment in Europe, according to an April 23 statement from Army Futures Command.

The 5th Battalion, 4th Artillery Air Defense Regiment received the M-SHORAD systems, and it will be the first battalion to field and test them, according to the announcement. The Army will field 144 systems to four battalions in total, although the announcement noted there could be an increase in the future.

The M-SHORAD is a new air defense system built on the Stryker vehicle, which is designed to provide short-range air defense against planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. The program was created to protect maneuvering brigades in Europe from Russian threats.

Future variants of the system could include a directed-energy capability, which would be able to target UASs, rockets, artillery and other threats, according to the announcement.

The Army released a request for information in November for a man-portable replacement for the Stinger missile that could work with the M-SHORAD.