In what is shaping up to be a new step to modernise its ground-based air defence platforms, the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom has awarded a new contract to the company Thales that will allow it to advance into the evaluation phase for the Mounted Short-Range Air Defence System (MSHORAD), which will equip the British Army in order to replace its aging Stormer HVM anti-aircraft vehicles. According to local analysts, this is a stage in which the final design of the system must be defined, selecting a mobile platform and a launcher that meets the force’s requirements.
Regarding this, the company stated in an official release: “The contract was signed with Defence Equipment and Support(DE&S) and represents a significant step forward for the UK Ministry of Defence in replacing the current High Velocity Missile self-propelled system Stormer (HVM SP), which represents the British Army’s current MSHORAD capability.” Although the amount for which London has awarded this new contract to move into a new phase was not specified, previous reports indicate that this would require an investment of around £48 million, setting plans for the new system to be available by 2028.
It is worth recalling at this point that the Stormer systems the British Army seeks to replace have been in service since the 1990s, developed specifically to shoot down fixed-wing aircraft but also to neutralise different types of helicopters. For this purpose, the platform features an eight-tube launcher, in which short-range Starstreak missile missiles—also developed by Thales—can be mounted; these are capable of neutralizing threats at distances of up to around 7 kilometers.
Along these lines, reports available so far indicate that the United Kingdom would seek for the new system to maintain compatibility with the aforementioned missiles, which would allow the British Army to take advantage of its current inventories. However, it is also noted that there is an intention to add a new 30 mm cannon that can be used against unmanned systems, which present a considerably lower cost ratio compared to a missile like those normally used to shoot them down. Among the main candidates being studied by the institution with these requirements in mind is the RIwP modular turret from the company Moog Inc., although it has not yet been confirmed which will be selected by London.
On the other hand, regarding the platform that would provide mobility to this system, analysts point out that the selected vehicle would be one derived from the Land Mobility Programme already underway within the British Army, aimed at replacing a wide range of outdated models. In particular, attention would be focused on acquiring the variant of the program known as the Medium Protected Mobility Vehicle (MPM), into which the launcher ultimately selected would be integrated. Finally, it should be mentioned that Thales has already partnered with the company L3Harris Technologies to develop a command and control capability for the new air defense systems, which should integrate with the Agile C4I at the Edge (ACE) system.
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