Leonardo DRS to deliver additional short-range air defense mission equipment packages

According to information released on September 9, 2021, Leonardo DRS, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a contract by General Dynamics to provide additional Mission Equipment Packages (MEP) for Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) Increment 1 (M-SHORAD Inc. 1) systems. The contract is valued at $204 million.

Under the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, the company is expected to provide 59 additional MEPs (Mission Equipment Packages) for the program. This order follows the first delivery order for 28 production MEPs being delivered beginning early next year. These production contract awards follow a very successful rapid prototyping effort that completed an aggressive government test schedule and fielded four production-like systems in Germany.

Leonardo DRS Land Systems fully integrates the MEP before providing it to General Dynamics Land Systems, the platform integrator, and prime contractor. The M-SHORAD Inc. 1 MEP includes Moog’s Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (RIwP ®) turret with multiple kinetic effectors including the XM914E1 30mm cannon, M240 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, Stinger and Longbow HELLFIRE missiles. The MEP also includes Rada USA’s Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar (MHR) and several other enabling technologies.

“Leonardo DRS appreciates the Army’s decision to procure the additional M-SHORAD Inc. 1 systems. The team is on track to deliver the mission equipment packages to General Dynamics Land Systems on schedule,” said Aaron Hankins, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Systems line of business. “This capability is urgently needed for today’s battlefield, and we are excited to be a part of the team delivering it to our soldiers.”

Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) is an Air Defense Artillery capability that moves and maneuvers in direct support of Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) to destroy, neutralize or deter low altitude aerial threats, including Group 3 UAS, rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft. With Leonardo DRS’ M-SHORAD Mission Equipment Package (MEP) on a purpose-built Stryker, Warfighters maneuver with tactical units to detect, identify, track and defeat air threats.