Northrop Grumman targets Raid Hunter production-level prototype by end of Q2 2027

Northrop Grumman plans to complete a production-level prototype of its Raid Hunter counter-unmanned-aircraft system by the end of the second quarter of 2027. The ground-based architecture combines an XM913 50 mm Bushmaster chain gun, precision-guided ammunition and a networked controller to engage drones and other aerial threats around defended sites. The company previously conducted a test at Dahlgren, Virginia, in which the gun fired 36 rounds while engineers collected performance data. Northrop expects to invest more than $100 million in the effort by the prototype milestone, but the system remains in development rather than an operationally fielded production programme.