https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated June 1, 2023
U.S. Army’s Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD)
System
Background
The Army is procuring and continuing to develop a new
maneuver short-range air defense system, or M-SHORAD.
This system would perform short-range air defense, or
SHORAD. The Army defines the SHORAD mission as:
Dedicated air defense artillery (ADA) and non-
dedicated air defense capabilities that enable
movement and maneuver by destroying,
neutralizing, or deterring low altitude air threats to
defend critical fixed and semi-fixed assets and
maneuver forces.
Legacy SHORAD ADA systems include the FIM-92
Stinger missile, the Avenger system, and the Land-Based
Phalanx Weapons System (LPWS), which is employed
against rockets, artillery, and mortars.
In the early 2000s, the Army divested ADA units from
Army force structure to free up personnel to create other
types of units deemed more mission-critical at the time. The
Army supposedly accepted the risk because it believed the
U.S. Air Force could maintain air superiority. After 2005,
SHORAD force structure was reduced to two battalions of
Active Component Avenger systems and Counter-Rocket,
Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) batteries and seven National
Guard Avenger battalions.
Renewed Emphasis on SHORAD
Since 2005, there has been a dramatic increase in air and
missile platforms that could threaten U.S. ground forces.
The use of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) has increased
exponentially, and UASs have been used successfully in a
variety of conflicts, including the current Russo-Ukrainian
conflict. Furthermore, fixed-wing aircraft, attack
helicopters, and cruise missiles continue to evolve, posing a
growing threat to U.S. ground forces. Given the increase in
threat and limited air defense assets available to Army
divisions, the Army decided to improve the air defense
posture of its maneuver forces.
M-SHORAD Requirement
In response to the growing aerial threat, the Army plans to
field 144 M-SHORAD Increment 1 systems to four
battalions and could field additional battalions in the future.
Each M-SHORAD battalion would consist of 40 M-
SHORAD systems, support vehicles and equipment, and
about 550 soldiers. In April 2021, the 5
th
Battalion, 4
th
Air
Defense Artillery Regiment received the first four of its M-
SHORAD systems, becoming fully equipped by late 2022.
The Army plans to field the second M-SHORAD battalion
in fourth quarter of FY2023. In addition to the 144 systems
designated for operational units, the Army plans to procure
18 additional systems for training, operational spares, and
testing, for a total of 162 systems.
M-SHORAD Variants/Increments
While M-SHORAD is primarily intended to defend
maneuver forces against air threats, it also has the capability
to engage a range of ground targets. There are three M-
SHORAD variants, or “Increments,” envisioned by the
Army.
Figure 1. M-SHORAD Increment I
Source: https://www.leonardodrs.com/what-we-do/products-and-
services/m-shorad/.
M-SHORAD Increment 1
M-SHORAD Increment 1 (Figure 1) was developed under
the Other Transaction Authority contracting process. M-
SHORAD uses the M-1126 Stryker combat vehicle as its
chassis. The weapons and radar packages are configured by
Leonardo DRS and then installed on the Stryker by General
Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), the vehicle’s original
manufacturer. Leonardo DRS reports the multipurpose
unmanned turret includes
• two AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles capable of
hitting ground targets;
• four FIM-92 Stinger missiles for aerial targets in a
launcher (configured by Raytheon);
• an XM914 30 mm automatic cannon;
• an M-240 7.62 mm machine gun; and
• a multi-mission radar capable of tracking both ground
and air targets.
FY2024 M-SHORAD Increment 1 Budget Request
According to FY2024 Army budget documents, the Army
requested $400.697 million in procurement funding for 22
M-SHORAD Increment 1 systems.
