U.S. Army seeks drone defense for its lightest units

The U.S. Army is seeking industry input for a new palletized counter-drone capability intended for light, mobile and airborne formations under M-SHORAD Increment 4. The vehicle-agnostic system is expected to address Group 1–3 unmanned aircraft as well as helicopters and fixed-wing threats while remaining deployable without the heavier Stryker-based configuration used by earlier M-SHORAD increments. An industry day is scheduled for October 27–28, 2026, in Huntsville to refine system-integration, development and production approaches. The Army is targeting an initial capability in late fiscal 2029, but no supplier has been selected and no production contract has been awarded.