The U.S. Army is preparing to acquire 144 Interim Maneuver-Short-Range Air Defense systems (IM-SHORAD) on the Stryker vehicle platform. 

In a recent notice posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website, the service asked industry proposals in regards to an ability to deliver 144 IM-SHORAD systems with deliveries beginning in the fiscal year 2020 and final deliveries in 2024.

According to a recent notice, the U.S. Army wants a new anti-aircraft weapon system that would provide 360-degree air defense protection of the Stryker and Armor Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) throughout the range of military operations.

The new mobile air defense systems need to provide a capability to fill the lack of air defense in current maneuver formations against air threats encountered to include: Rotary Wing (RW), Fixed Wing (FW) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

IM-SHORAD, mounted on a Stryker, applies an open mission command architecture approach integrating the Sentinel Radar, Forward Area Air Defense – Command and Control (FAAD-C2), a Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher (SVUL), M299 Launcher, and Line of Sight radios on a vehicle platform. The system can interoperate with the fielded Air Defense Interrogator (ADI) and Blue Force Tracker (BFT) systems.

The final prototypes of IM-SHORAD will be delivered to the service by the first quarter of fiscal 2020.

The Army’s goal is to provide the first battery no later than the fourth quarter of 2020, but that will depending on funding.

A notice from the U.S. Army claims that the first and second battalions are expected outfit 36 IM-SHORAD systems each by the fiscal year (FY) 21 and a third and fourth battalion with another 36 systems each by FY-22.