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U.S. Marines Field First Production MADIS Mobile Air Defense to Counter Drone and Airborne Threats.
The U.S. Marine Corps has accepted its first full-rate production Marine Air Defense Integrated System, transitioning MADIS from prototype to operational service. The move strengthens expeditionary units with mobile, vehicle-mounted air defense designed to counter drones and low-flying threats in contested environments.
On December 15, 2025, the U.S. Marine Corps announced it had accepted the first full-rate production Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS), marking the transition from prototype to a fielded, line-unit capability, as reported by Program Executive Officer Land Systems via DVIDS. Developed as the centerpiece of a modernized Ground-Based Air Defense (GBAD) portfolio, MADIS answers the rapid proliferation of drones and low-flying aircraft that have challenged conventional air superiority in recent conflicts. By transforming two Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) into a mobile, networked “drone hunter” team, the system provides Marine formations with organic short-range air defense that can move and fight with maneuver units. Its entry into full-rate production signals a shift from ad hoc, man-portable solutions toward integrated, vehicle-mounted air defense optimized for contested littoral and expeditionary operations.
The U.S. Marine Corps has begun fielding full-rate production MADIS-equipped JLTVs, giving maneuver units a mobile, integrated defense against drones and low-flying air threats during expeditionary operations (Picture Source: DVIDS)
The production MADIS configuration consists of a complementary pair of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles supplied by Oshkosh Defense, forming a single Ground-Based Air Defense section in which each vehicle is optimized for a distinct part of the air-defense mission. According to U.S. Marine Corps, the Mk1 variant is mounted on the Oshkosh-built JLTV platform and carries the Kongsberg RS6 remote weapon station with an XM914E1 30×113 mm cannon, a co-axial 7.62 mm machine gun, and an integration kit for Stinger air-to-air missiles, giving it the primary role in engaging fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. The Mk2 vehicle, also based on the Oshkosh JLTV, is dedicated to the counter-UAS mission and integrates sensors and mission systems including a radar from the RPS-42 family, electro-optical and infrared sensors, electronic warfare suites, and command-and-control functions for the entire section. Together, the two Oshkosh JLTVs enable the MADIS section to detect, classify, and engage aerial threats while stationary or on the move, with response options ranging from electronic disruption of small drones to kinetic intercepts using missiles or guns.
Beyond the weapon fit, the full-rate MADIS incorporates a series of software and sensor upgrades compared with earlier prototypes, including refined targeting algorithms, improved cueing between sensors and weapons, and enhanced mobility integration on the JLTV platform. These refinements allow faster closing of the kill chain against small, low-observable drones that often fly below traditional radar coverage and exploit cluttered environments. The system’s modular architecture is designed to accept new effectors or sensors over time, from alternative radars to directed-energy or non-kinetic payloads, enabling the Marine Corps to adapt MADIS as unmanned threats continue to evolve.
To prepare personnel to operate the new capability, Marine crews have completed New Equipment Training and live-fire exercises at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, where the first full-rate production systems were introduced. Earlier low-rate initial production vehicles were tested at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, demonstrating the ability to detect, track, and engage multiple unmanned aerial targets using Stinger missiles and the 30 mm cannon under realistic conditions. In parallel, the 3d Marine Littoral Regiment and the 3d Littoral Anti-Air Battalion have integrated MADIS into live-fire training in Hawaii and during Exercise Balikatan in the Philippines to strengthen airspace protection for dispersed littoral forces. These activities confirm that MADIS can be deployed from amphibious platforms, rapidly established at austere island sites, and provide immediate local air-defense coverage without reliance on additional joint enablers.
Strategically, MADIS is a key element of Force Design 2030 and the broader effort to rebuild Marine ground-based air defense after years in which air threats were considered a lower priority. The system replaces a construct centered on dismounted Stinger teams and legacy truck-mounted launchers, which required crews to expose themselves to acquire and engage targets. By embedding sensors, weapons and electronic warfare suites inside armored, highly mobile JLTVs, MADIS offers greater survivability for Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) battalions and provides the distributed Marine Air-Ground Task Force with a dedicated shield against the spectrum of low-altitude threats, from commercial quadcopters to armed helicopters. It also integrates with other Marine and joint systems such as the Medium Range Intercept Capability and the G/ATOR radar, contributing to a layered air and missile defense architecture in which small expeditionary nodes can plug into a wider network when available.
At the geostrategic level, the full-rate production of MADIS underscores the Marine Corps’ commitment to enhancing capabilities in the Indo-Pacific and other contested littoral zones. These regions are increasingly defined by adversaries employing dense anti-access/area-denial systems alongside large numbers of unmanned platforms. Recent exercises in Hawaii and the Philippines highlight how MADIS-equipped littoral regiments can safeguard forward bases, coastal sensors, and long-range fires units that might otherwise be exposed to low-cost drone swarms or surprise rotary-wing incursions.
For regional allies, the integration of these counter-drone vehicles in joint training activities offers a tangible demonstration of U.S. commitment to sustaining robust air-defense coverage even within dispersed, small-unit operations. Moreover, the industrial collaboration with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and other partners reflects a broader NATO shift toward mobile short-range air defense, driven by lessons from Ukraine and other modern conflicts, which have shown how affordable unmanned systems can impose disproportionate costs on forces without adequate counter-UAS protection.
The transition of MADIS into full-rate production therefore, represents more than the arrival of a new vehicle variant; it marks a structural change in how the Marine Corps intends to protect its forces and critical assets in a drone-saturated battlespace. By pairing sensing, electronic warfare and kinetic effects on a highly mobile JLTV platform, the system turns each MADIS section into a self-contained hunter of low-altitude threats, able to maneuver with infantry, armor or artillery rather than remaining tied to fixed sites. As more units complete training and integrate the system into their tactics, MADIS is set to become a central tool for ensuring that dispersed Marine formations can survive and operate under hostile air and unmanned pressure, from the high deserts of California to the island chains of the Indo-Pacific.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.