TSAMTO, August 13. The American companies Northrop Grumman and Leonardo DRS presented the results of the refinement of two air defense systems – the 50-mm artillery complex Raid Hunter and the mobile short-range air defense system SGT STOUT.
Both developments are aimed at countering massive attacks by UAVs and cruise missiles.
On August 11, 2026, Northrop Grumman officially revealed the name and characteristics of the promising Raid Hunter anti-aircraft artillery system at the Aerospace and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. The system is designed to close the gap in short-range echelon defense and is designed to protect military bases, airfields and critical infrastructure facilities from cruise missiles, UAVs and other complex aerial threats.
The Raid Hunter is based on the XM913 automatic cannon of 50 mm caliber, firing guided projectiles. According to Kenna Todorov, vice president of the company, the complex is equipped with a sensor manufactured by SRC Inc., a base turret on a pallet platform carried by a C-130 military transport aircraft, and ammunition for 400 rounds. It is also planned to develop options for deployment on combat vehicles and in container versions.
According to the company, the estimated cost of one guided 50-mm projectile will be less than 10 thousand dollars, which is significantly lower than the cost of interceptor missiles used to destroy massive and inexpensive targets – UAVs and swarms of drones. The Raid Hunter system has not yet been tested for a real target: as of August 2026, four tests of individual ammunition elements have been conducted, including firing 36 shells at the Dahlgren range (Virginia). Comprehensive fire tests of the entire system, including the integration of a new projectile, are scheduled for January-February 2027, and delivery of the current prototype is scheduled for summer of 2027.
On August 11, Leonardo DRS announced a successful demonstration of the capability of the SGT STOUT (M-SHORAD) serial short-range mobile air defense system to hit Group 1-2 UAVs during a test event commissioned by the US government. The combat equipment set of the system, originally designed to defeat larger UAVs of group 3 and higher, as well as aircraft and helicopters, received expanded functionality solely by updating the fire detection and control software without changing the hardware.
SGT STOUT was originally designed to be upgraded so that combat capabilities could evolve as threats evolve.
According to the company, the troops have already deployed several hundred SGT STOUT complexes.
SGT STOUT is based on a modular set of Leonardo DRS combat equipment with a platform-independent architecture and modular interfaces that integrate promising subsystems – passive detection tools, artificial intelligence solutions for decision support, peripheral computing and new fire weapons without completely redesigning the complex design. The company indicated that a number of proven solutions may be implemented in the near future into already deployed systems as improvements to a set of equipment to enhance protection against UAVs of groups 1-2.
The company emphasized that the development is based on the operational experience of SGT STOUT and on data obtained as part of the integrated defeat system program for low-maneuverable, low- and low-speed UAVs, where Leonardo DRS is the lead performer. The experience gained is used to create scalable and modernizable solutions for advanced air defense programs.
