Marine CORPS AIR Defense Weapons SYS

Marine Corps Air Defense Weapons Systems includes multiple Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) Force Design priority items. It supports the Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) Battalion's mission of Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) and provides the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) to include; maneuver forces, bases, posts and stations, the necessary force protection to defeat the full spectrum of threats associated with the Marine Corps Low Altitude Air Defense mission, to include hostile aerial threats from Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and manned fixed wing/rotary wing aircraft. With the proliferation of both military and commercial UAS and platforms, the program is pursuing and acquiring more lethal and survivable air defense weapons systems platforms; such as JLTV's with armored protection and better maneuverability than a HMMWV, providing increased Counter-UAS (C-UAS) and FW/RW capabilities now and continually spiraling out increasing capability for the foreseeable future. Based on an Urgent Universal Need Statement (UUNS), a Joint Urgent Operational Need (JUON), and a Joint Emergent Operational Need (JEON) the Marine Corps has aggressively pursued CUAS solutions in support of deployed Marines and critical facilities. The development of these solutions has been leveraged heavily by the MADIS onto two Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV). MADIS is an ACAT II Program of Record that initiated at MS B in 3Q FY 2021 and achieved MS C in 3Q FY 2023 and began fielding in 1Q FY 2025. Marine Air Defense Integrated System Family of Systems (MADIS FoS): MADIS FoS provides the Marine Corps with an organic, upgradable, and state of the art capability to protect MAGTF maneuver forces, installations and other designated defended assets from Fixed/Rotary Wing (FW/RW) aircraft and Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The MAGTF is at increased risk of lethal air attack and fires coordination from next generation aircraft as well as significant advances from small UAS (sUAS) threats due to their rapid development and proliferation by the commercial sector, which has increased their nefarious use by both state and non-state actors. To address these threats, the MADIS FoS consists of mission tailored variants designed for sustained operations ashore, afloat, and aboard installations.

The Medium Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) is a CMC Force Design program providing the Marine Corps Expeditionary Force Commander a capability to defend forward deployed forces primarily against threat cruise missiles; secondarily against UAS and other aerial threats that enter the MRIC's Weapons Engagement Zone (WEZ). MRIC is designed as a system-of-systems and will be integrated with Marine Corps organic Command and Control (C2) and Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) architecture. The program will enhance the expeditionary force ground-based air defense (GBAD) capability to rapidly prosecute aerial threats and expand layered defense of the Expeditionary and Naval Forces. The MRIC prototype firing exercises were completed 4Q FY 2022 and informed the decision point in 1Q FY2023 to certify for deployment. The certification efforts occurred FY 2023 through FY 2024 and led to a successful decision for prototype deployment 3Q FY 2025. This effort informs the investment to meet the Force Design requirements to field an MRIC Battery to each of the three LAAD Battalions.

High Powered Microwave C-UAS supports the assessment of technologies to counter swarms that can be integrated into the MADIS FoS. The MAGTF is at increased risk of lethal air attack and fires coordination from next generation aircraft as well as significant advances from small UAS threats due to their rapid development and proliferation by the commercial sector. AI-Enabled Autonomous Weapons Station in support of Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) increases the accuracy and effectiveness of the current MADIS Fire Control System (Remote Weapon Station). Furthermore, the advanced processing capability streamlines targeting operations, resulting in a quantifiable decrease in gunner workload and enabling faster, more efficient engagements. Autonomous Counter-UAS Defeat System for L-MADIS supports the added requirement to integrate a critical small UAS kinetic defeat capability. The overall strategy to fulfill the required performance parameter includes an Engineer Change Proposal (ECP) to integrate a remote weapon system on the MK1 platform and integrate vendor sensors with LMADIS organic sensors to close the kill chain for small UAS.