Northrop Grumman Unveils Raid Hunter 50mm Gun System for Drone Defense
Northrop Grumman announced the Raid Hunter, a palletized 50mm gun-based short-range air defense (SHORAD) system, at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. Designed to counter drone swarms and cruise missiles, it uses precision-guided ammunition and AiON C2 software. The system offers a cost-effective alternative to missile interceptors, addressing economic imbalances highlighted by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Testing runs through 2026, with an operational prototype targeted by summer 2027.
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Northrop Grumman Unveils Raid Hunter Anti-Drone Chain Gun with 50mm Precision-Guided Ammunition
Northrop Grumman has introduced the Raid Hunter, a short-range air defense system designed to counter drone swarms and cruise missiles. The system uses the company's proven Chain Gun technology with 50mm precision-guided ammunition, offering a cost-effective solution to the economic challenge of massed aerial threats. It features a modular, palletized design that can be rapidly deployed on C-130 aircraft or other vehicles, and supports networked, interoperable operations with layered defense architectures. Northrop Grumman aims to fill a critical short-range air defense gap highlighted by recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, where traditional systems have struggled against high-volume drone attacks. Testing will continue this year to validate its capabilities and support accelerated fielding.
Northrop Grumman Unveils Raid Hunter Anti-Drone Chain Gun with 50mm Precision-Guided Ammunition
Northrop Grumman has introduced the Raid Hunter, a new short-range air defense system designed to counter drone swarms and cruise missiles. The system uses the company's proven Chain Gun technology with precision-guided 50mm ammunition, offering a cost-effective solution to the economic challenge of massed aerial threats. The modular, palletized design can be rapidly deployed via C-130 or other vehicles and supports networked, interoperable operations with layered defense architectures. Northrop Grumman states the system fills a critical short-range air defense gap highlighted by recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, where traditional systems like Patriot missiles are too expensive for cheap drone swarms. Testing will continue in 2026 to validate counter-UAS capabilities and support accelerated fielding.
Read sourceNorthrop Grumman Unveils Raid Hunter Anti-Drone Chain Gun with 50mm Precision-Guided Ammunition
Northrop Grumman has introduced the Raid Hunter, a short-range air defense system designed to counter drone swarms and cruise missiles. The system uses the company's proven Chain Gun technology with 50mm precision-guided ammunition, offering a cost-effective solution to the economic challenge of massed aerial threats. It features a modular, palletized design that can be rapidly deployed on C-130 aircraft or other vehicles, and can be networked for coordinated engagements. The Raid Hunter aims to fill a critical short-range air defense gap identified in modern conflicts like Ukraine and the Middle East, where traditional missile-based systems are overwhelmed by high-volume, low-cost threats. Tests are planned for 2026 to support accelerated fielding.
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Northrop Grumman unveils Raid Hunter 50mm SHORAD concept
Northrop Grumman announced the development of the Raid Hunter, a palletized 50mm gun-based short-range air defense (SHORAD) system, at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Alabama. The system repackages the Bushmaster Chain Gun to fire precision-guided 50mm rounds with proximity fuses, designed to counter mass mixed raids of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and cruise missiles. It incorporates AiON C2 software for threat detection and response. The company aims to deliver an operational prototype by summer 2027, with monthly tests over the next year. Each round is expected to cost in the four-digit range, and the entire system about half the cost of a missile battery, addressing the cost imbalance highlighted by Russian saturation strikes in Ukraine.
Northrop Grumman unveils Raid Hunter 50mm SHORAD concept to counter drone and cruise missile threats
Northrop Grumman announced the development of the Raid Hunter, a palletized 50mm gun-based short-range air defense (SHORAD) system, at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. The system repackages the Bushmaster Chain Gun to fire precision-guided 50mm rounds with proximity fuses, designed to counter mass mixed raids of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and cruise missiles. It incorporates Northrop's AiON command-and-control software for detecting and engaging different UAS classes. The company aims to deliver an operational prototype by summer 2027, with monthly tests over the next year. The system is intended to operate in batteries for overlapping coverage, with each round costing in the four-digit range and the entire system costing about half of a missile battery. The concept responds to saturation strike tactics observed in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Northrop Grumman unveils Raid Hunter 50mm SHORAD concept to counter drone and missile swarms
Northrop Grumman announced the development of the Raid Hunter, a palletized 50mm gun-based short-range air defense (SHORAD) system, at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. The system repackages the Bushmaster Chain Gun to fire precision-guided 50mm rounds with proximity fuses, designed to counter mass mixed raids of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and cruise missiles. Northrop aims to provide a lower-cost alternative to missile batteries, with each production round costing in the four-digit range and the system costing about half a missile battery. The concept has only been tested in simulated environments, but the company plans monthly tests over the next year, targeting an operational prototype by summer 2027. The system will incorporate AiON C2 software and likely use the XM913 gun selected for the US Army's XM30 IFV.
Read sourceNorthrop Grumman Unveils Raid Hunter 50mm Gun System to Counter Drone Swarms
Northrop Grumman has named its 50mm gun-based air defense system 'Raid Hunter', designed to defeat drone swarms and cruise missiles. The system pairs the company's Chain Gun with precision-guided 50mm ammunition and a networked controller, offering high rate of fire, deep magazines, and fast reloads as a cost-effective alternative to missile interceptors. Testing through the rest of 2026 will support accelerated fielding. The system is built on a modular palletized form factor for C-130 transport, with vehicle-mounted and container-based variants planned. Northrop Grumman cites the economic reality of drone warfare, where cheap drones can overwhelm expensive missile defenses, as driving the return of gun-based air defense. The 50mm chain gun is derived from the XM913 developed for the US Army's optionally manned fighting vehicle program.