US marines with Marine Corps Systems Command fire a Stinger Missile from the Marine Air Defense Integrated System at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona on 13 December 2023. (US Marine Corps )
Marines recently got their hands on a Marine Air-Defense Integrated System (MADIS) for the first live fire of an initial rate production model, US Marine Corps (USMC) officials announced on 11 January.
As one of the marine's central air-defence capabilities, MADIS is being developed to take on the threat of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aircraft alongside paired up with the Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC).
The system is on track for the first fielding to the 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion (LAAD) by November 2023, Marine Corps Systems Command spokesperson Morgan Blackstock told Janes on 17 January.
During the live-fire test on 13 December 2023 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, marines fired Stinger surface-to-air missiles and projectiles from a 30 mm cannon off the back of two Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs). The munitions targeted “multiple” Group 1 and 3 UAVs, and “test objectives were achieved”, according to Blackstock. She declined to say how many were successfully hit during the test.
A M240 machine gun is also a part of the capability but was not used in the live fire. The systems use the RPS-42 produced by RADA Electronic Industries for its radar capability to track UAVs, while the Common Aviation Command and Control System directed the vehicles to the targets.
More live fires will take place throughout the fiscal year, which will include new equipment training, system verification testing, and initial operational test and evaluation, according to a 11 January USMC press release.
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