Army readying for IM-SHORAD production

The Army is preparing to shift to the production phase of the Initial Maneuver-Short-Range Air Defense system, the service's interim platform for ground-based air and missile defense.

The service last summer via other transaction authority selected Leonardo DRS, along with Moog Inc. and General Dynamics, to develop and test the IM-SHORAD prototype on the Stryker vehicle.

The Army is now readying for production, releasing this month a request for information on industry's ability to deliver 144 IM-SHORAD systems starting in fiscal year 2020 and ending in FY-24, per a directed requirement from the vice chief of staff.

IM-SHORAD, mounted on a Stryker, will communicate with the service's Sentinel radar and come equipped with four Stinger missiles and two Longbow Hellfire missiles.

The requirement is born out of an urgent need to protect Stryker and armor brigade combat team-based maneuvering forces from air and missile threats, according to the vice chief's February 2018 memo.

The Army plans to outfit the first and second battalions with 36 systems each by FY-21 and a third and fourth battalion with another 36 systems each by FY-22.

The service's FY-19 budget request forecasted nearly $1 billion over the five-year spending plan for IM-SHORAD procurement alone, seeking $17 million in FY-19, $72.7 million in FY-20, $152 million in FY-21, $443 million in FY-22 and $291 million in FY-23.