As part of the recent Formidable Shield 2025 exercises, which are being held in Norway, the U.S. Army has announced that it has tested its new 8×8 Stryker M-SHORAD armored vehicles in live-fire drills, currently known as SGT STOUT. According to reports, the tests were carried out by gunners from the 5th Battalion of the 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, and this marks the first time these units have used the platform to fire Stinger missiles alongside various NATO partners, which in turn enabled the development of the Alliance’s integrated defense architecture.
Expanding on the details of the activity, the U.S. Army is said to have deployed its new 8×8 Stryker M-SHORAD in the Norwegian region of Andøya, from where it provided close support to the ground and naval forces involved in the exercise. Specifically, the platform reportedly used its radars to detect a series of drones simulating low-flying threats, while employing its Stinger missiles and 30 mm cannon to shoot them down. It is also worth noting that the combat simulations involved nighttime firing tests, demonstrating the system’s capability to operate at any time of day.
It is also important to mention that the U.S. SGT STOUT vehicles operated jointly with Norway’s NASAMS and NOMADS launchers to set up the air defense network for the exercise—capabilities that were complemented by Marine Corps units equipped with man-portable Stinger launchers. All operations involving these assets were coordinated from a command center that used NATO data link systems to keep all platforms connected, which facilitated the task of tracking and neutralizing enemy targets.
On this point, Major Ben Bowman, who serves as operations officer for the 4th Battalion of the 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, stated: “Our radar here can only see so far, but we send what we see to the network, and the ships that maybe can’t see from here receive an early alert (…) Likewise, they can see a trajectory at greater distance than we can, so we know well in advance that something is approaching, which gives us an advantage.”
Lastly, it is useful to recall that the aforementioned air defense systems were part of a considerably larger force, which included a total of 16 warships, 27 aircraft, and 8 ground units from 11 NATO countries. In this regard, Formidable Shield 2025 stands out as one of the most important air and missile defense exercises of the year for the Alliance—this edition notable for incorporating land-based defense positions into what was originally a purely naval exercise; reflecting the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine.
*Image credits: Captain Alexander Watkins
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