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Breaking News: US Army Conducts First Test of SGT STOUT Air Defense System Against Drones and Missiles in Norwegian Arctic.
During the multinational Exercise Formidable Shield 2025, held from May 6 to 9, the U.S. Army's 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADAR) conducted the first-ever live fire of the SGT STOUT system. Formerly known as M-SHORAD (Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense), this new short-range air defense platform represents a notable development in Allied interoperability and reflects recent tactical lessons, particularly from the war in Ukraine, where drones, cruise missiles, and low-altitude attacks have become persistent threats to ground forces.
Mounted on a Stryker armored platform, the system integrates infrared-guided Stinger missiles, a 30 mm automatic cannon, and an onboard radar, enabling it to detect, identify, and engage aerial threats independently (Picture source: US DoD)
Deployed in a challenging Arctic environment, the SGT STOUT engaged multiple simulated aerial targets during nighttime operations. Mounted on a Stryker armored platform, the system integrates infrared-guided Stinger missiles, a 30 mm automatic cannon, and an onboard radar, enabling it to detect, identify, and engage aerial threats independently. During the exercise, 5-4 ADAR crews demonstrated both the system’s operational performance and their ability to conduct operations under austere conditions. A notable event occurred when one vehicle was unable to lock onto a target using its primary sensor. The crew immediately executed a pre-established battle drill by dismounting and launching a shoulder-fired Stinger missile. The successful engagement illustrated the unit's tactical responsiveness and the complementarity between mounted and dismounted air defense components.
The development of the SGT STOUT began in 2018 as a response to the reemergence of short-range aerial threats on modern battlefields. Designed to provide mobile protection for maneuvering forces, it offers a defensive bubble against fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, micro-drones, artillery rockets, and low-signature cruise missiles. Its modularity and integration into joint and combined command networks are central to its operational concept. The system is now in service with three U.S. Army battalions based in Germany, Fort Sill (Oklahoma), and Fort Cavazos (Texas). It has already been deployed during Saber Strike in Poland, as part of DEFENDER 24, where six SGT STOUT vehicles provided effective short-range air defense for U.S. and Allied forces. Additional variants are currently under development to address evolving threats and doctrinal shifts within the U.S. Army.
In June 2024, the system was officially named SGT STOUT in honor of Sergeant Mitchell W. Stout, the only Air Defense Artillery soldier to receive the Medal of Honor. While serving with C Battery, 1st Battalion, 44th ADA in Vietnam in 1970, Sgt. Stout sacrificed his life by shielding his fellow soldiers from a grenade explosion. The designation of the system aims to reflect the core mission of protecting friendly forces. According to Doug Bush, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, the name SGT STOUT symbolizes the intended role of the system in countering emerging aerial threats.
The inclusion of SGT STOUT in Formidable Shield 2025 also reflects the broader evolution of the exercise. Originally focused on naval missile defense, it now incorporates air and land-based elements to build a more comprehensive integrated air defense architecture. The 2025 edition included 16 warships, 27 aircraft, and eight ground units from 11 NATO member and partner nations. Operating alongside Norwegian forces, 5-4 ADAR provided the last layer of defense on the island of Andøya, intercepting any threats that penetrated naval defenses deployed in the Norwegian Sea. This layered construct—combining long-range interceptors, naval assets, and mobile short-range ground systems—is at the core of NATO’s integrated air and missile defense strategy.
Designed to provide mobile protection for maneuvering forces, the SGT STOUT system offers a defensive bubble against fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, micro-drones, artillery rockets, and low-signature cruise missiles (Picture source: US DoD)
SGT STOUT was connected to a broader NATO data-sharing network, enabling real-time coordination through tactical data links. As Major Ben Bowman, 5-4 ADAR operations officer, explained, the range limitations of the onboard radar are compensated by shared sensor data, allowing naval units to detect distant threats earlier and vice versa. This mutual visibility enhances situational awareness and decision-making across the defense network. In addition to the U.S. systems, Norwegian forces deployed the NASAMS and their new mobile air defense platform. The U.S. Marine Corps’ Marine Air Control Group 28 added further depth to the exercise, contributing teams with shoulder-launched Stinger missiles and operating a tactical air operations center to coordinate fires and deconflict airspace.
The diversity of participating systems and the variation in simulated threats added a layer of tactical complexity noted by Allied commanders. Captain Fridtjof Joys of the Royal Norwegian Navy highlighted how the rotating composition of adversaries, ranging from drones to different air and naval platforms, presented a continuously changing environment, useful for stress-testing interoperability and command flexibility.
For the soldiers of 5-4 ADAR, the exercise provided a critical transition from virtual to live training. As Specialist Isiah Hernandez noted, simulations cannot fully replicate the demands of field conditions. Colonel Hailey Bairu, commander of the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, which oversees SGT STOUT integration in Europe, described Formidable Shield as a uniquely comprehensive exercise. Established in 2022 in Sembach, Germany, the 52nd ADA Brigade ensures the operational alignment of U.S. air defense assets with NATO’s broader structure on the continent.
As 5-4 ADAR returns to its home station in Ansbach, Germany, the battalion does so with valuable operational experience and reinforced confidence in its ability to deploy SGT STOUT within a multinational framework. The exercise validated the system’s technical performance, its crews’ readiness, and its integration within NATO’s real-time air defense ecosystem. With these results, the SGT STOUT emerges as a key asset in NATO’s layered theater air defense posture, contributing to the ongoing adaptation of Western defense strategies to current and emerging aerial threats.