By Julian Nettlefold,
Leonardo DRS, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRS) and BlueHalo announced in October during AUSA, the successful live-fire demonstration of a new Counter Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) Directed Energy (DE) Stryker in Socorro, NM.
The C-UAS DE Stryker was designed, integrated, and tested to provide warfighters with mobile kinetic and non-kinetic defeat technologies effective against Group 1-3 UAS. During last month’s demonstration, the C-UAS DE Stryker destroyed multiple drones with BlueHalo’s LOCUST Laser Weapon System (LWS). The team also demonstrated near-simultaneous kinetic and lasing engagements, defeating drones with BlueHalo’s LOCUST LWS while EOS Defense Systems USA’s R400 Remote Weapon Station (RWS) engaged ground targets with the XM914 (30mm) cannon and an M240B (7.62mm) machinegun.
“DRS is excited to display the C-UAS DE Stryker at the 2024 AUSA Annual Meeting this week in Washington, D.C. The Stryker represents rapid prototyping in action. DRS and our industry partners designed, built, and tested this Stryker in only eight months. The industry coalition was thrilled with the Stryker’s flawless performance in New Mexico. Thanks to leading-edge ingenuity from our team, the C-UAS DE Stryker is a technology of the future – available to warfighters today,” said Aaron Hankins, Senior Vice President and General Manager at DRS Land Systems in St Louis, MO.
The C-UAS DE Stryker allows crews to detect, identify, track, and defeat multiple Group 1-3 UAS with kinetic and non-kinetic effectors–all from a single platform. Kinetic effectors include the EOS Defense Systems USA R400 30mm RWS, BAE Systems’ 2.75″ Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) using an Arnold Defense launcher, and the Northrop Grumman Defense Systems XM914 30mm cannon. Non-kinetic effectors include BlueHalo’s LOCUST LWS, which is stored inside the Stryker and rapidly deployed when a threat is detected. The 26-kilowatt LWS combines precision optical and laser hardware with advanced software and processing to enable and enhance the directed energy “kill chain”. It tracks, identifies, and defeats Group 1-3 UAS and other threats.
In addition to the LOCUST LWS, the Stryker employs BlueHalo’s Titan C-UAS™ and Titan-SV non-kinetic technologies, delivering comprehensive 360° surveillance and threat detection and mitigation of Group 1 and 2 drone threats. Titan-SV serves as the passive detection cueing system for the Live-Fire Engagement.
“BlueHalo’s LOCUST Laser Weapon System is operationally deployed, proven, and trusted. Its modularity and ease of integration across platforms makes it a great fit for the Stryker armored vehicle,” said Mary Clum, BlueHalo Portfolio President and Corporate Executive Vice President. “BlueHalo is thrilled to lean forward with our partners at Leonardo DRS and the incredible coalition of industry leaders that has come together. Our unique combination of operational know-how and innovation has enabled us to rapidly develop a critical capability that directly addresses the challenges our warfighters are facing daily in contested environments. We are excited to share this progress with customers and roll these systems out to the frontlines in support of our nation’s most critical missions.”
The C-UAS DE Stryker will provide soldiers with the mobility, firepower, and protection required to maneuver, fight, and survive at the tactical level in contested environments. The Stryker has enhanced lethality to defeat ground and air threats, and it is fully integrated with the US Army’s Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2) network, ensuring it is interoperable with other Air Defense systems.
The new C-UAS DE Stryker brings together best-in-class technologies from a coalition of industry partners, each making significant investments to rapidly develop this capability. In addition to Leonardo DRS and BlueHalo, the coalition includes EOS Defense Systems USA, Northrop Grumman Defense Systems, BAE Systems, Digital Systems Engineering, Arnold Defense, and AMPEX.
