Raytheon completes 10 subsystem demos for NGSRI programme

Raytheon has successfully completed 10 subsystem demonstrations of its Next Generation Short-Range Interceptor (NGSRI), which is being developed to replace the FIM-92 Stinger short range air defence missile, according to an 18th February press release. 

The NGSRI is being designed by Raytheon to fit into the existing Vehicle Universal Launch system and the Stinger man-portable system. The subsystem demonstrations, conducted over several months, helped prove the design of key elements like the warhead. Tests of which showed “precise and repeatable lethality against a broad spectrum of critical threats,” the press release states. 

The warhead is of course a critical element for any missile and the ability to reliably defeat a range of different targets provides reassurance that the NGSRI will be able to defeat enemy drones as well as helicopters. While Russian Ka-52s have suffered heavy attrition in Ukraine, they have caused significant casualties to Ukrainian forces at key moments, as have Russia’s drones. The ability to defend against this range of threats is a vital requirement for the Stinger replacement as a result. 

Closely connected to the warhead were tests of the seeker, which demonstrated increased target acquisition range compared with the original seeker in lab and real world tests. This requirement has grown out of the proliferation of drones, which typically give off a lower thermal signature compared with a helicopter or plane. The type of seeker carried by Raytheon’s NGSRI has not been made clear by Raytheon, but it would be reasonable to conclude that it carries a multi-modal seeker over the infrared/UV seeker used by the more recent Stingers. It may also include greater computing power, allowing the missile to better respond to the seeker data that it collects. 

The subsystem demonstrations also included a rocket motor fly out, which demonstrated the missile’s ability to “extend the intercept range of maneuver short-range air defence engagements,” Raytheon states. The US Army, upon opening the programme, indicated that a key requirement for the Stinger replacement, is the ability to reach its target quicker than the Stinger, which travels at a maximum speed of 745 m/s and has a top range in excess of 4,000 m. 

A range of other tests were conducted with the NGSRI including the command launch assembly, fuzing, and guidance. No further details were provided, but it would make sense for the fuze to be a proximity, as opposed to contact, fuze. This would detonate the warhead when a target is within its lethal area, rather than requiring the missile to make physical contact with the target. This is typically a preferred approach for drones and other manoeuvrable targets. 

The next phase of the programme for Raytheon will include touch points with US soldiers and a full system flight test is scheduled for later in the year. Lockheed Martin is also competing for the NGSRI requirement and was awarded a development contract alongside Raytheon in 2023. At that point, the US Army expected the programme to take five years to procure an appropriate solution with several points at which soldiers could offer feedback on the missile and adjustments could be made. 

Calibre comment 

SHORAD is one of the many elements of conventional warfighting that has evolved to some extent, while stagnating in others. The US, for example, has developed a variety of solutions to counter the drone threat in the Middle East and provide its Stryker formations with a form of layered SHORAD. However, it has typically leveraged existing solutions – Stinger and Hellfire for instance – rather than developing new missiles. To that end, a new missile that improves short-range capabilities should be a welcome development, so long as it is sufficiently affordable to enable deployment at scale. This is one challenge of SHORAD; several conflicts now indicate a need for SHORAD at scale, with effectors held at different levels throughout a force. The cost of missiles will prevent or limit the establishment of SHORAD at scale for many forces, and this may even become a concern for the US military following recent announcements from the Trump administration.