The US military has launched the deployment of the new Initial Maneuver Short-Range Air Defence (IM-SHORAD) system in Germany and the first weapon is now in Ansbach.

Based on the Stryker A1 8 × 8 vehicle, the service announced its deployment on April 23 as part of a larger plan to field 144 systems to four battalions, beginning this year. 

The IM-SHORAD, Stryker A1 is designed to down aerial threats, such as unmanned aircraft systems as well as helicopters and light aircraft. In its current configuration, the vehicle includes Leonardo DRS’s mission equipment package with Moog’s Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (RIwP) turret. The RIwP for this weapon includes a modified M299 launcher for two Longbow Hellfire missiles, a Raytheon Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher (SVUL) to hold four surface-to-air missiles with a range of up to 4.8 Km, Northrop Grumman’s XM914 30mm Bushmaster Gun and an M240 7.62 mm machine gun. 

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The weapon will also be equipped with a full range of sensors such as Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) as well as Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) of Israel’s Rada.

The MHR is a 4D Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) pulse doppler radar platform with advanced software to meet multiple operational requirements. In addition, the vehicle has an electro-optical surveillance system with infrared camera (EO/IR) M3-GCS L3Harris WESCAM and electronic warfare (E/W) system.

The Stryker A1 double-V hull configuration offers high survivability against mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The vehicle is powered by a Caterpillar C9 450hp engine and its eight (8) tires offer superior mobility and increased speed in all types of terrain. 

In the future, the US army intends to develop an “enduring capability” for additional battalions, in part by extending the target set to include rockets, artillery and mortars. Additional potential capabilities may include Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs).

General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is leading the initiative and received a $ 1.2 billion contract from the German military to build the new vehicles last year. In December 2020, GDLS subsequently awarded Leonardo DRS an “initial” contract under a five-year contract worth more than $ 600 million.

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