GBAD - The return of 'FOBS'

[Kirkhill]

And Thales with a truck-mounted SMART-L radar claiming 5000 km range.

Thales unveils an anti-aircraft shield capable of detecting missiles from a distance of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) and responding within seconds

Thales just revealed SkyDefender, a new missile shield that detects threats 3,100 miles away. See how this defense tech changes war.

okdiario.com

 

[HavokFour]

And Thales with a truck-mounted SMART-L radar claiming 5000 km range.

Thales unveils an anti-aircraft shield capable of detecting missiles from a distance of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) and responding within seconds

Thales just revealed SkyDefender, a new missile shield that detects threats 3,100 miles away. See how this defense tech changes war.

okdiario.com

That is quite impressive if it can actually get that kind of range.

For comparison, the AN/TPY-2 can see out to around 870-3000km depending on the mode.

 

[Kirkhill]

It's an interesting time in both UAS and CUAS systems. This one is still a bit pricey CUAS at $10,000 to shoot down a $400 UAS at ranges of "more than 1,000 metres."

CUAS continues to be a domestic issue in the US

U.S. Pentagon Deploys Laser and Microwave Counter-Drone Systems Across 5 U.S. Military Bases

Pentagon selects five U.S. bases to test laser and microwave weapons against growing drone threats.

armyrecognition.com

The U.S. Department of War has selected five military bases across the United States to field high-energy laser and high-power microwave systems in an operational counter-drone defense pilot program,

Fort Huachuca, Fort Bliss, Naval Base Kitsap, Grand Forks Air Force Base, and Whiteman Air Force Base

U.S. Air Force can’t stop drones over its own bases

A senior U.S. Air Force general acknowledged before Congress that the military lacks adequate defenses to protect its own air bases from drone incursions on American soil, and that the service is still working out what it would even take

defence-blog.com

Another disadvantage of crewed, fixed wing aircraft: long runways = long perimeters.

 

[Kirkhill]

Drones could mean the end of sprawling bases seen during Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

The U.S. military operated out of massive military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. But such a huge presence is vulnerable to drone attacks.

taskandpurpose.com

Does it also mean pressure on large airfields and bases at home as well?

As the article in the post above noted, the USAF is having difficulty defending its home bases from drones.

...

Boeing CH-47 Chinook - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Everything You Need to Know about the F-35B

The F-35B is the first supersonic STOVL aircraft and flown by the U.S. Marine Corps, the United Kingdom and the Italian Air Force.

www.f35.com

Shield AI

Autonomy for the world.

shield.ai

XQ-58 Valkyrie | Kratos

A stealthy, runway-flexible, autonomous or AI-driven, high-performance-to-cost unmanned aerial vehicle with modular open mission systems architecture.

www.kratosdefense.com

These all have the advantage of not requiring a runway - smaller foot print, shorter perimeter, easier to defend.

 

[Kirkhill]

Luxembourg getting into the IAMD game.

'Reasonable response': Government eyes air and missile defence expansion in military spending boost

Luxembourg plans to invest in future air and missile defence capabilities as part of a broader increase in military spending that will see defence expenditure rise to 2.3% of gross national income by 2029.

today.rtl.lu

 

[Kirkhill]

Lockheed Martin CEO unveils AI-powered warfare tech built to stop drone swarms

Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet details systems like Sanctum, the company's AI-powered counter-drone system designed to detect and track drones before they're destroyed.

www.foxbusiness.com

Morfius - a fly-by EMP drone? It flies close to attacking and fries their innards - 50 pulses per flight?

Also..

"the company has modified Hellfire missiles — traditionally used as air-to-ground weapons on Apache helicopters — into lower-cost ground-to-air interceptors capable of taking down enemy drones."

The APKWS II started life as a lower cost replacement for the Hellfire in the Air to Ground role.
Now Lockheed seems to be trying to get some of that market back.

 

[Kirkhill]

https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12421

U.S. Army IFPC Air Defense System Demonstration in the Philippines Highlights New Indo-Pacific Defense Layer

IFPC air defense system demonstrated in Philippines shows how U.S. Army counters drones and cruise missiles in Pacific operations.

armyrecognition.com

Echo Battery, 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Conducts Air Defense Training at Osan Air Base

Echo Battery of the 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment conducted air defense training with IFPC(Indirect Air Protection Capability) and Avenger air defense system launchers at Osan Air Base on March 11, 2026 as part of the Freedom Shield 2026 Exercise. The training focused on...

www.dvidshub.net

U.S. Army tests low-cost IonStrike drone interceptor

The U.S. Army's 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade is testing a low-cost kinetic interceptor called IonStrike in Europe this spring, evaluating whether the system produced by DZYNE Technologies can fill the mid-range gap in American air defenses against the one-way

defence-blog.com

So the US Army Air Defense Layer Cake now looks like

THAAD
Patriot

NASAMs - AIM120D AMRAAM

IFPC - AIM9X Sidewinder, AGM114L Hellfire ....

Avenger - Stinger, NGI

VAMPIRE - APKWS II

IonStrike -

Coyote -

MSHORAD - 30mm LRF Bushmaster

With more on the way....

Then there is all that Navy stuff.

 

[Kirkhill]

And another layer

Pentagon to Buy $500 Million Worth of AI Drones Tested in Ukraine War

The Pentagon has signed a $500 million contract with Perennial Autonomy to develop and supply counter-drone systems for the U.S. military.The deal was announced by the U.S. Department of Defense […]

militarnyi.com

 

[Kirkhill]

GBAD CUAS battle for fixed installations


Decoys

https://www.chemring.com/~/media/Files/C/Chemring-V3/documents/countermeasures/centurion.pdf

Microwaves

Marines Get Their First High Power Microwave Weapon For Taking On Drone Swarms

Testing the ExDECS weapon will give the USMC a better idea of how high-power microwave technology can boost its short-range air defenses. Testing ExDECS will evaluate the use of high-power microwave technology to boost short-range air defense.

www.twz.com

Lasers

Containerized Variant Of Navy's Drone-Swatting HELIOS Laser Being Pushed By Congress

HELIOS is the only laser able to down drones installed on an active Navy warship, and putting it in a container would open up new deployment possibilities.

www.twz.com

Non-Explosive Interceptor Drones (Optionally armed with explosive warheads)

UK Shows Modular Launcher Designed to Deploy 10 Drones in Quick Burst

British firm ISS Aerospace is pushing rapid drone deployment concepts forward with its HAL10, a modular launcher designed to release up to 10 unmanned aerial vehicles in quick succession.

thedefensepost.com

Inside Ukraine's Interceptor Drone Innovations Swatting Down Thousands Of Russian Shaheds

Brave1 CEO Andrii Hrytseniuk gives us exclusive insights into Ukraine's ability to counter Russia's one-way attack drone armada on the cheap.

www.twz.com

Kinetic Missiles

VAMPIRE™

L3Harris’ Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment is a portable kit that can be installed on most vehicles with a cargo bed for launching of APKWS or other laser-guided munitions.

www.l3harris.com

US Army turns resupply drone into rocket launcher in new test

Though the drone was designed to haul supplies across the battlefield, the Army recently tried turning it into a rocket launcher.

www.militarytimes.com

Point Defence Machine Guns AI Directed

Sky Sentinel: Ukraine to produce anti-aircraft turrets for intercepting drones and cruise missiles

The fully automated Sky Sentinel turret has already shot down the first Russian drones and is preparing for serial production.

militarnyi.com

 

[Kirkhill]

Locally paired with

Fire Distribution Center (FDC)

Explore the Fire Distribution Center, a scalable BMC4I solution for air defence and missile missions with open architecture and interoperable command and control.

www.kongsberg.com

And integrated into (example of higher control only)

Fire Control Center - FCC

Fire Control Center for coastal defence operations, enabling mission planning, maritime picture generation, launcher coordination and NATO-interoperable precision strike command and control.

www.kongsberg.com

 

[HavokFour]

On the camouflage end of CUAS.

Dazzle may be seeing a return in 2026. We'll just have to see if it makes any difference, and how quickly it may take to train AI around it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2061399352485007368

https://twitter.com/x/status/2060755420122124325

 

[Kirkhill]

CV9035s as part of a layered CUAS programme.

Estonia Integrates CV9035 IFVs into Layered Counter-Drone Air Defense Exercise Shaped by Ukraine War Lessons

Estonia integrates CV9035 IFVs into layered air defense drills, enhancing counter-drone capabilities using lessons from Ukraine.

armyrecognition.com

 

[FJAG]

CV9035s as part of a layered CUAS programme.

Estonia Integrates CV9035 IFVs into Layered Counter-Drone Air Defense Exercise Shaped by Ukraine War Lessons

Estonia integrates CV9035 IFVs into layered air defense drills, enhancing counter-drone capabilities using lessons from Ukraine.

armyrecognition.com

I'm taking this article with a large grain of salt. There's a vast difference as to the air defence capability of the 35mm gun system on a CV9035 and those of the 30 or 35mm guns that are part of the Skyranger system.

Colour me sceptical.

 

[Seyek]

I'm taking this article with a large grain of salt. There's a vast difference as to the air defence capability of the 35mm gun system on a CV9035 and those of the 30 or 35mm guns that are part of the Skyranger system.

Colour me sceptical.

While different guns, do they not both use the same 35mm x 228mm ammo? Rheinmetall says the AHEAD ammo is compatible with the Bushmaster gun. Would it not be more a matter of updating fire control systems if needed? You'd also need to tie the IFVs into your air defence picture if you're incorporating them into the broader air defence plan as opposed to just self defence against inbound drones.

 

[FJAG]

While different guns, do they not both use the same 35mm x 228mm ammo? Rheinmetall says the AHEAD ammo is compatible with the Bushmaster gun. Would it not be more a matter of updating fire control systems if needed? You'd also need to tie the IFVs into your air defence picture if you're incorporating them into the broader air defence plan as opposed to just self defence against inbound drones.

One of the things about AHEAD ammo is that it's fuze is set at the muzzle by an induction fuze setter. The fuze setting is dependant on data from a radar as to the target range which is then processed by a fire direction system that slews the gun to the target and directs the fuze setting to the fuze setter. None of that is part and parcel to the standard CV9035 gun or Estonia's as far as I know. These vehicles are equipped with Saab's Universal tank and anti-aircraft sight (UTAAS). There's a long article from Saab on it here.

There's no doubt in my mind that you can create a system that duplicates a Skyranger and put it on a CV90 chassis. But that's not what Estonia has. They are using the optical side of UTAAS and maybe some type of proximity fuzed round. The article isn't clear on that. The issue here is the difference between a system that merely gives you an emergency anti-air capability and a system (of the same calibre) built as a primary AA defence tool.

 

[GR66]

The issue here is the difference between a system that merely gives you an emergency anti-air capability and a system (of the same calibre) built as a primary AA defence tool.

Not to mention the difference in training required for a dedicated AD system vs ad hoc weapons use against an aerial target.

 

[Kirkhill]

How cost effective is the 35mm?

1100 Euros per round. 10 rounds per kill. 11,000 Euros per kill.

Engineering Behind Rheinmetall’s AHEAD Round Explains Both Its Lethality, Its Price Tag | Defense Express

Rheinmetall’s 35mm AHEAD round is packed with tungsten submunitions and detonates with microsecond precision, making it highly effective but far from cheap, which is very relevant issue for the Ukrainian Defense Forces

en.defence-ua.com

 

[FJAG]

Not sure if this update on the GBAD project has come to folks attention yet so . . . here it is.

Short-range air defence on target for 2027 | Canadian Army Today

canadianarmytoday.com

As the program has evolved, so too has the terminology. The next three phases of GBAD, previously referred to as Uplift and Enduring Phases 1 and 2, have been simplified to Phase 1 Uplift SHORAD, Phase 2 Enduring SHORAD, and Phase 3 Enduring VSHORAD.

Engagement in 2025 with five potential bidders helped refine the requirements for Phase 1 Uplift, a military-off-the shelf short-range air defence (SHORAD) and counter rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) platform destined for the multinational brigade in Latvia.

The Army is targeting November 2027 for initial operating capability in Latvia, though that could change. The broader GBAD program is among the Army commander’s top priorities and was recently moved under the umbrella of the new Defence Investment Agency (DIA), created by the federal government in October 2025 to streamline military procurement. Becker said it is still too soon to know if DIA involvement will fast-track some or all the remaining three phases, “but we’re very optimistic.”

In anticipation of the first SHORAD system, 4th Artillery Regiment (GS) will stand up a new battery, 119 Air Defence Battery, this summer. “Their personnel will be in place and ready to receive the initial cadre training once we reach contract award,” said Becker. “That was my main concern.”