Counter-Drone Stryker Armored Vehicle Armed With Lasers, Rockets, Guns Unveiled

The new Stryker aims to offer the Army another layer of highly mobile lower-tier air defense capability to help rebuff drone attacks.

Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Oct 11, 2024 6:19 PM EDT

Counter-Drone Stryker Armored Vehicle Armed With Lasers, Rockets, Guns Unveiled (twz.com)

A new counter-drone focused variant of the 8×8 Stryker light armored vehicle armed with a laser directed energy weapon, laser-guided 70mm rockets, a 30mm automatic cannon, radars and other sensors has broken cover. Defense contractor Leonardo DRS and its industry partners are actively pitching the vehicle to the U.S. Army, which is looking to significantly grow its short-range air defense capabilities in the coming years. That service is also very interested in new laser-armed options, specifically, after lackluster field tests of a different Stryker-based system earlier this year.

Leonardo DRS, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Italy’s Leonardo, released a video, seen below, detailing what it is currently calling the Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems Directed Energy (C-UAS DE) Stryker earlier today. The company says seven other partners – BlueHalo, EOS Defense Systems USA, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Arnold Defense, AMPEX, and Digital Systems Engineering – contributed to the development of the prototype in around eight months.