GBAD - The return of 'FOBS'

[Furniture]

Russia's attack drones now jam the cheap interceptors sent to kill them - Euromaidan Press

The jammer reads the interceptor's own video frequency, then floods it—blinding the operator who steers the drone.

euromaidanpress.com

Do you mean to suggest that the shiny brochures aren't presenting the full picture?

 

[KevinB]

Do you mean to suggest that the shiny brochures aren't presenting the full picture?

Imagine my surprise…

 

[Kirkhill]

Army Widens Stinger Surface-To-Air Missile Replacement Search

Lockheed and Raytheon are developing competing Stinger replacements now, but the Army wants to put additional designs to the test next year.

www.twz.com

Room for the $10,000 SAAB Nimbrix or the $5,000 Wild Hornets Sting?

The Stinger Replacement was the known known.
Nimbrix and Sting are coming out of the unknown uknown realm.

Neither they, nor their capabilities, existed when the Stinger arsenal was exhausted.

 

[KevinB]

Army Widens Stinger Surface-To-Air Missile Replacement Search

Lockheed and Raytheon are developing competing Stinger replacements now, but the Army wants to put additional designs to the test next year.

www.twz.com

Room for the $10,000 SAAB Nimbrix or the $5,000 Wild Hornets Sting?

Sort of want them to work against all the required threats.
Which they don’t.

The Stinger Replacement was the known known.
Nimbrix and Sting are coming out of the unknown uknown realm.

Neither they, nor their capabilities, existed when the Stinger arsenal was exhausted.

There are still Stingers. The supply is not exhausted.
But you are touting concepts that do not work against the threat requirements.

Sure it’s great to be cheap, but if you can only engage 1 of the 4 types of requirements successfully, is that really an option?

FWIW I think the author is confused about Class 2 UAS, by his definition it is a waste of a missile interceptor, but he actually describes a Class I Small UAS (20kg/55lbs or lighter). Whereas Class 2 is up to 600kg/1300lbs

 

[Kirkhill]

Sort of want them to work against all the required threats.
Which they don’t.

There are still Stingers. The supply is not exhausted.
But you are touting concepts that do not work against the threat requirements.

Sure it’s great to be cheap, but if you can only engage 1 of the 4 types of requirements successfully, is that really an option?

FWIW I think the author is confused about Class 2 UAS, by his definition it is a waste of a missile interceptor, but he actually describes a Class I Small UAS (20kg/55lbs or lighter). Whereas Class 2 is up to 600kg/1300lbs

Why don't riflemen carry only one weapon that kills all targets?

Isn't a bit adventurous to argue that a cheap round should not be acquired because it only does 25 to 50% of the job?

Where is the rationale for the M72 and the AT4? The DMR and the LMG?

 

[Kirkhill]

The US Air Force is working on its drone defenses, starting with AI and ending with shotguns

Airmen learned how to use artificial intelligence systems to scan the skies for drones and engage threats.

www.businessinsider.com

How the Army benefits from diverse interceptors, plus a window into modernization - Breaking Defense

The chief of the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command shares more from our recent interview in Huntsville, Ala.

breakingdefense.com

Layering and Mutual Support.

 

[Kirkhill]

Pentagon awards contract in race to field cheaper interceptors, missiles

The Pentagon awarded a contract to X-Bow Systems in its race to develop a new anti-ballistic weapon for less than $750,000 per shot.

www.defensenews.com

Reducing costs .... printing Solid Rocket Motors.

 

[Kirkhill]

An alternate US supplier of the Hydra 70mm rockets that form the core of the APKWS II Prox CUAS missiles.

U.S. Army contractor Firehawk successfully tests Hydra-70 rockets

Firehawk successfully fired six Hydra-70 rockets in a live-fire test at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, the company said Friday, achieving a 100 percent success rate. The rockets were built at Firehawk's facility in Crawford, Mississippi, and fired from an M261

defence-blog.com

 

[Kirkhill]

If we need/want 70mm rockets then this is certainly something we should build domestically.

Home - Magellan Aerospace

Magellan Aerospace is a global enterprise providing integrated products to the aerospace industry worldwide. Discover Our Products

magellan.aero

CRV-7
Black Brant
Heavy Torpedos
M-72s

 

[Kirkhill]

Third Army Corps Receives British RapidRanger SAM Systems

The Anti-Aircraft Missile and Artillery Regiment “Aquila” of the Third Army Corps has shown British RapidRanger SAM systems for the first time.

militarnyi.com

The Brits have upgraded their Stormer mounted HVM SAM system. It still launches Starstreak and Martlet laser beam rider missiles but with more autonomy and is compatible with lighter vehicles (at the cost of fewer ready to launch rounds).

 

[Kirkhill]

More passive AI CUAS.

VAMPIRE Gains Passive AI Detection to Hunt Drones in Silence

Shield AI has licensed its Tracker Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System software to L3Harris, paving the way for a fully integrated detect-and-defeat capability aboard the VAMPIRE weapon system.

thedefensepost.com

 

[Kirkhill]

Laser based GBAD in a civilian environment.

Drone activity at U.S.-Mexico border drops 75% after U.S. uses laser weapon, military says

In less than two weeks, the high-energy laser weapon system has taken down 11 drones, coinciding with a 75% drop in drones probing the border, military officials told CBS News.

www.cbsnews.com

2024 - 1000 drone incursions over the US Mexican border
2026 - 300 so far this year.

 

[HavokFour]

Another all on 1 truck solution.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2096649218454589599

MSI-DS TERRAHAWK SPECIALIST C-UAS - MSI Defence Systems

MSI-DS TERRAHAWK SPECIALIST C-UAS – static, mobile, and deployable – is a self-contained solution developed for augmented mobility and deployability in close range air defence. Modular, remote-controlled, and re-deployable – to defend against close range land, air, and maritime threats (proven...

www.msi-dsl.com

 

[Kirkhill]

Speed of development

How Fast Can Cheap Interceptor Missile Against Jet-Powered Drones Go From Idea to Production? Frankenburg Example | Defense Express

Frankenburg Technologies began developing its compact, low-cost Mark I interceptor missile back in 2024, with the goal of creating an affordable weapon capable of defeating drones, including jet-powered targets. The company has now moved the system into production

en.defence-ua.com

Funded Oct 2024
First Intercept Dec 2025
Factory Opens June 2026

Target output of 100 missiles per factory per day
Total output from all factories of 1,000,000 misiles per year.

 

[HavokFour]

Ukraine's domestically made replacement for it's old soviet systems made it's first public appearance, both the missile and launcher.

As for the missile:

The missile weighs 450 kg, including a 36-kg warhead. Its guidance system combines inertial navigation, radio correction, and an active radar homing seeker. The missile is 4.8 meters long and has a diameter of 230/300 mm.

At the initial stage, the “Koral” was advertised with significantly more modest specifications: an engagement range of up to 30 km, an engagement altitude of up to 10 km, a weight of around 300 kg, and a 25-kg warhead. The missile was 4.33 meters long and had a diameter of 230/260 mm. At the same time, the designers emphasized that the specific specifications could vary depending on the customer’s requirements.

Ukraine shows a home-built missile designed to hit ballistic targets for the first time, the Koral, at Poland's MSPO - Euromaidan Press

Ukraine showed its home-built Koral surface-to-air missile publicly for the first time at Poland's MSPO expo.

euromaidanpress.com

Ukraine shows off its new Koral air defense systems

Ukraine has publicly shown a launcher for its Koral surface-to-air missile for the first time, unveiling it at the MSPO defense exhibition in Kielce, Poland, a Militarnyi correspondent reported. State defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom released an image showing a missile launch

defence-blog.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/2097303098725143030

 

[Kirkhill]

US Navy Selects L3Harris VAMPIRE for Littoral Counter-Drone Defense - Naval News

L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a contract to deliver its VAMPIRE (Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment) counter-unmanned system to the U.S. Navy for littoral defense against drone threats.

www.navalnews.com

More VAMPIRES. This time for the USN.

 

[Kirkhill]

Polish CUAS solution. TBD.

Poland Unveils an "Iron Dome on Budget" to Counter russian Shaheds and Banderols | Defense Express

Poland has unveiled a concept for a new air defense system designed to counter drones and cruise missiles, including the mass attacks Poland could face in a potential war with russia

en.defence-ua.com

 

[KevinB]

Why don't riflemen carry only one weapon that kills all targets?

Isn't a bit adventurous to argue that a cheap round should not be acquired because it only does 25 to 50% of the job?

If you have a replacement program, the replacement needs to at least do what the predecessor did.

You can’t issue a MANPAD and then say, sorry it doesn’t work against Aircraft or Helicopters…

Where is the rationale for the M72 and the AT4? The DMR and the LMG?

We retired the M-72 in favor of the AT-4.

The DMR and LMG came from two different capability requirements - and different programs.

VSHORAD is not C-UAS.
Yes some VSHORAD systems can do C-UAS, (or at least counter some types of UAS) it doesn’t mean they are a C-UAS system.
The same goes that some system for C-UAS will work as LLAD/VSHORAD against some targets, it doesn’t mean they are a general service LLADS.

The same aspect that APS are not necessarily C-UAS and vice versa.

 

[Kirkhill]

If you have a replacement program, the replacement needs to at least do what the predecessor did.

Only if you are considering that one sytem in isolation. System capabilities will always change overtime so the questions become ones of "where are the gaps in coverage?" and "how much overlap do the deployed systems provide?". Or put another way, is the enemy going to run out of targets to send your before or after you run out of the means to knock them down?

You can’t issue a MANPAD and then say, sorry it doesn’t work against Aircraft or Helicopters…

Yes I can, if I have a separate equipment issue that does deal with aircraft and helicopters. If I see a hundred drones for every helicopter I see and the drone counter costs $5000 but the helo counter costs $200,000 then why would I want purchase 100 $200,000 missiles when I can get the job done with 100 $5000 missiles? And still afford to buy a couple of anti helicopter missiles for when the occasional helo flies by?

We retired the M-72 in favor of the AT-4.

Other countries are still issuing M-72s, albeit improved, along with smaller numbers of more expensive, capable, heavier and bulkier options.

The DMR and LMG came from two different capability requirements - and different programs.

Exactly. But both are made available to the section that needs both capabilities.

VSHORAD is not C-UAS.
Yes some VSHORAD systems can do C-UAS, (or at least counter some types of UAS) it doesn’t mean they are a C-UAS system.
The same goes that some system for C-UAS will work as LLAD/VSHORAD against some targets, it doesn’t mean they are a general service LLADS.

The same aspect that APS are not necessarily C-UAS and vice versa.

And in that overlapping uncertainty we find my position.

 

[HavokFour]

Canada will be supporting Project Freya.

EDIT: Both PMMC and Zelenskyy reiterated during the press conference that Canada will be joining the project.

Prime Minister Carney meets with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Prime Minister Carney and President Zelenskyy reaffirmed the strong and enduring friendship between Canada and Ukraine. The Prime Minister underscored Canada’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.

www.pm.gc.ca