U.S. Army conducts first Stinger missile launch from Stryker M-SHORAD air defense vehicle.

The U.S. Army reported that a Stryker M-SHORAD conducted the first live Stinger missile firing during the October 2025 National Training Center rotation at Fort Irwin.

On November 28, 2025, the US Army announced that the 1st Armored Division conducted the first Stinger live-fire ever performed by a Stryker M-SHORAD air defense vehicle during National Training Center Rotation 26-01 in October 2025 at Fort Irwin, California. This event validated the ability of this variant of the Stryker to transition from detection to engagement under realistic environmental and tactical constraints, while supporting elements from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team and attached reconnaissance units.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

This live-fire event demonstrated that the Stryker M-SHORAD, officially named Sergeant Stout, can conduct target engagements rapidly while maneuvering with a U.S. Army brigade combat team. (Picture source: U.S. Army)

Strengthening the short-range air defense (SHORAD) at the division level after years of reduced SHORAD force structure, the live-fire event also positioned the Stryker M-SHORAD as a capability now used as part of regular combat readiness cycles. The live-fire engagement occurred when an M-SHORAD Stryker crew from Able Battery of 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment launched an FM-92 Stinger missile against an Outlaw drone that simulated an enemy aerial platform by performing a figure-8 flight pattern north of the Stryker firing position, creating a moving target that the crew detected, tracked, and engaged in alignment with established firing procedures. The drone’s maneuver profile allowed the sensors and the fire control system to maintain visual and thermal contact while evaluating range, relative motion, and timing for launch. Once the crew completed target verification using the onboard electro-optical and infrared systems, they executed the firing sequence and observed a successful strike with a live munition. The event validated the ability of the crew to transition from search to track to engagement under realistic NTC time constraints.

The historic Stinger launch was the culmination of a full rotation in which Vanguard, the call sign for 4th Battalion, 60th ADA Regiment, had already supported the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team “Ready First” and a Multi-Functional Reconnaissance Company from 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, by engaging simulated rotary wing platforms and class 1 and class 2 unmanned aerial systems with repeated accuracy during force-on-force operations. These engagements relied on the battalion’s sensor suites and the integration of advanced protection concepts that limited the freedom of movement of simulated enemy aviation and drone reconnaissance. The battalion’s purpose during the rotation was to demonstrate that Stryker-mounted Stinger systems can protect ground forces using a mobile configuration that remains synchronized with mechanized units and reconnaissance formations. Commanders noted the formation’s consistency and discipline in contested training environments, while vehicle crews described the live-fire strike as the visible outcome of their sustained preparation. The battalion’s overall tactical success also demonstrated that short-range air defense capabilities are again considered necessary by the U.S. Army in brigade-level operations.

The Stryker Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) system used in the engagement, officially named Sergeant Stout, combines the Stryker A1 chassis with a modular mission equipment package designed by Leonardo DRS and General Dynamics Land Systems that includes a multipurpose unmanned turret with an XM914 30 mm automatic cannon, an M240 7.62 mm machine gun, four FIM-92 Stinger missiles, and originally two AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles, as well as a multi-mission radar and advanced electro-optical and infrared sensors for detecting and tracking air and ground targets. This complete system allows a Stryker to counter unmanned aerial systems, rotary-wing aircraft, and low-altitude, fixed-wing aircraft. The M-SHORAD program initially called for 144 Increment 1 systems for four battalions, with additional vehicles for testing, training, and spares, potentially rising above 300 depending on further decisions. Early in the program, the U.S. Army decided to remove the Longbow Hellfire launcher because the externally mounted missiles experienced vibration and wear from vehicle movement, leading to the mounting of a second Stinger launcher pod, raising the ready-to-fire loadout to eight Stinger missiles, who will themselves be replaced by the Next Generation Short Range Interceptor (NGSRI), which will features multi-mode seekers and an extended intercept range.

Beyond Increment 1, the U.S. Army is developing the M-SHORAD Increment 2, known as DE M-SHORAD, which incorporates a 50-kilowatt laser intended to counter a wider range of threats, with early developmental work beginning in 2019 and subsequent testing of four vehicles in the Middle East in February 2024. Increment 3 is planned to integrate the Next Generation Short Range Interceptor (NGSRI), while adding the XM1223 Multi-Mode Proximity Airburst munition for the 30 mm cannon for a greater engagement potential. Increment 4 is intended to create a capability suitable for dismounted maneuver with requirements for C-130 transportability, air-droppable options, sling load compatibility, and potential integration on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and robotic platforms. For these four increments, the U.S. Army requested industry responses for near-term, mid-term, and far-term solutions to maintain a long-term capability, as four additional M-SHORAD battalions will be activated in the National Guard between 2026 and 2030, depending on funding.

The M-SHORAD system relies on the Stryker armored vehicle, which has been in U.S. service since the early 2000s and includes numerous variants equipped with a common automotive baseline, including a Caterpillar diesel engine, an 8x8 drivetrain, a protection against 14.5 mm rounds on key arcs with bolt-on ceramic armor, and enough internal space for a crew of two plus mission systems or passengers depending on the variant. These variants are numerous, supporting a wide range of tasks such as infantry transport, command and control, medical evacuation, engineering, reconnaissance, and fire support, and the most recent Stryker units manufactured integrate a double V-hull to improve the protection against mines and improvised explosive devices. This also includes advanced driver vision systems, including thermal cameras such as the AN/VAS-5 Driver’s Vision Enhancer and the newer DVE-Wide 107 degree field of view system used on the ICV-D variant, combined with ongoing efforts to integrate these systems with the Integrated Visual Augmentation System to provide a closed-hatch 360 degree view to the crew.

On the other hand, the FIM-92 Stinger missile used in the live-fire event is a man-portable, infrared homing, surface-to-air system that entered service in 1981 and consists of a missile about 1.52 meters long, 70 millimeters in diameter, weighing about 10.1 kilograms, carried in a launcher weighing roughly 15.7 kilograms, with an effective firing range between approximately 0.16 and 8 kilometers to engage targets at altitudes up to around 3,800 meters. Reaching speeds near Mach 2.2, the Stinger uses a two-stage process in which a small ejection motor clears the launcher before the main solid-fuel sustainer accelerates it to operational velocity, carrying a high-explosive fragmentation warhead of approximately 3 kilograms with an impact fuze and a self-destruct timer that activates after 17 seconds. The missile uses proportional navigation guidance and seeker cooling provided by a Battery Coolant Unit inserted into the gripstock. Variants include the Basic, POST, and RMP families, with later models, such as the FIM-92J and FIM-92K, possessing dual infrared and ultraviolet detectors to improve discrimination against flares and countermeasures, reprogrammable microprocessors for software updates, and proximity fuzes.

The Stinger’s long history includes a development beginning in the late 1960s to replace the FIM-43 Redeye, a production beginning in 1978, several upgrades through the 1980s and 1990s that introduced more capable seekers, and the use in multiple conflicts ranging from the Falklands and the Soviet-Afghan War to more recent operations in the Middle East and Ukraine. Ongoing U.S. modernization efforts include a service life extension that adds new flight motors and redesigned Dual Detector Assemblies, and plans for a full replacement under the NGSRI program to produce up to 8,000 new interceptors, with an initial production anticipated after 2026, as Stinger inventories continue to decline due to age and combat transfers. Parallel to this effort, the Red Wasp program seeks to integrate a solid fuel ramjet into the Stinger form factor to extend its range and improve performance against unmanned aerial systems that possess growing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, using a dual-mode propulsion cycle that transitions from rocket boost to an air-breathing phase that improves efficiency by eliminating the need for onboard oxidizers.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.