General Dynamics nabs $1.2B for Army's short-range air defense system

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- General Dynamics was awarded a $1.2 billion contract this week to deliver a short-range air defense system to the Army.

The contract, announced Wednesday by the Department of Defense, covers production of the Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense, which expected for deliver by September 2025.

The new IM-SHORAD will be mounted on a Stryker A1 platform and provide soldiers with protection using guns, missiles, rockets and onboard sensors.

GenDyn was the sole bidder for the award, according to the Pentagon.

The United States identified a need for the Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense system to counter Russia's aerial attack capabilities several years ago.The International Institute for Strategic Studies said this week the Russian military is more capable than at any time since the end of the Cold War.

According to a 2019 Army press release, most of the SHORAD battalions in the active component were deactivated 10 years ago in order to grow maneuver brigade combat teams for counter-insurgency operations. But now, the branch is reshaping its capability and capacity to conduct large-scale combat operations against adversaries like Russia and China.

Col. Mark A. Holler, commandant of the Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Sill, said the Army was given a "wake-up call" when it observed the conflict in Ukraine.