At AUSA 2022, Leonardo DRS unveils a new technology demonstrator of C-UAS (Counter Unmanned Aerial System) based on the latest variant of the Stryker 8x8 armored vehicle. With its new C-UAS Stryker armored vehicle, Leonardo DRS offers a single vehicle able to perform the missions of two M-ATV vehicles.
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Leonardo DRS unveils its C-UAS Counter Unmanned Aerial System technology demonstrator based on Stryker 8x8 armored vehicle at AUSA 2022, defense exhibition in Washington DC, United States. (Picture source: Army Recognition)
Due to the urgent needs of the U.S. Army, Leonardo DRS has developed a new generation of C-UAS (Counter Unmanned Aerial System) based on the Stryker Double-V Hull Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICVVA1) in only seven months. The vehicle was developed in collaboration with seven industry partners including Moog, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Sierra Nevada Corporation, RADA USA, General Dynamics, and AMPEX.
The new C-UAS was designed by Leonardo DRS following the U.S. Army program Mobile, Low, Slow, Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (M-LIDS) program − a two-vehicle C-UAS system based on the mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) all-terrain vehicle (M-ATV).
The goal of the U.S. Army C-UAS program is to have a new armored vehicle that can detect and track unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and provide combat support to soldiers on the battlefield. The C-UAS weapon station mounted on the Stryker vehicle has both kinetic and non-kinetic defeat capabilities to intercept and destroy air and land targets.
Kinetic targeting refers to the targeted application of military force based on the release or concentration of kinetic energy against opposing forces or objects with (primarily) lethal effects in the physical domain, whereas non-kinetic targeting describes the targeted application of (other military and non-military) capabilities against addressees to generate (additional) non-kinetic effects in the non-physical and physical domain.
Using the Stryker vehicle, Leonardo DRS offers a solution that is based on the most common 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle in service with the U.S. army. The Stryker ICVVA1 is a modernized version of the standard Stryker vehicle that includes modification of the flat-bottomed hull into a double V-hull to increase protection against IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), following the lessons learned by U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Other improvements include a new 910 amp alternator capable of supporting electrical power required for future network upgrades, a new power distribution panel, new payload capacity, and optimization of the driveline.
The new C-UAS technology demonstrator displayed by Leonardo DRS at AUSA 2022 is fitted with a remotely operated weapon station designed by the company Moog which is armed with one 30mm automatic cannon and one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun mounted on the left side of the turret. On each side of the turret, there are two launcher containers able to fire surface-to-air missiles.
The Leonardo DRS Stryker C-UAS also integrates RADA tactical radar system providing enhanced fire control and air surveillance capabilities that can detect and track all types of aerial threats including Nano drones and short-range indirect fire.
