Lightweight RIwP and Army M-SHORAD Increment 4: Building the Foundation for Next-Gen Air Defense

Evolving Air Threats Facing Ground Forces

To address the evolving and increasingly complex air threats faced by maneuvering ground forces, especially in contested environments, the U.S. Army has recognized the need for an evolved capability. In 2021, the Army began fielding the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD) Increment 1/SGT Stout, a Stryker based vehicle platform, to the Divisional Air Defense Battalions supporting Armored/Stryker Brigade Combat Teams to defeat fixed and rotary wing aircraft and Group 1-3 UAS. Additionally, the Army has fielded the Mobile Low, slow, small, unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System (M-LIDS) on both MATVs and Stryker based vehicle platforms to defeat Group 1-3 UASs. Moog’s Standard Design Reconfigurable Integrated weapons Platform (SD RIwP) turret is the weapons system centerpiece for both M-SHORAD Inc 1/SGT Stout and M-LIDS.

M-SHORAD Increment 4 (Inc 4) is the Army’s next dedicated air defense artillery solution designed to support the Army’s light formations with vehicle platforms such as GM Defense’s Infantry Squad Vehicle/Infantry Utility Vehicle (ISV/IUV).

MSHORAD Increment 4 aims to converge common capabilities from M-SHORAD Inc 1/SGT Stout and MLIDS into a more flexible and modular solution to mount on a variety of light platforms. This will enable the Army’s Light Divisional Air Defense Battalions supporting Mobile Brigade Combat Teams (MBCTs) to defend against a wide range of aerial threats, from swarms of small drones to large UAS and fixed-wing aircraft.

M SHORAD Inc. 4 initiative seeks compact, transportable air-defense solutions to protect dismounted maneuver units and light formations from increasingly capable small, unmanned aircraft and rotary and fixed-wing threats. Increment 4 prioritizes adaptable, MOSA-compliant systems designed for rapid joint forcible entry. It focuses on systems that can be C-130 transported, airdropped, or sling-loaded. These systems should integrate command-and-control at the forward edge, support multiple effectors and sensors, and fit on platforms such as an Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) or robotic vehicles. The goal is affordable, rapidly fieldable capabilities for near-term needs that can evolve into more mature, resilient solutions for 2030 and beyond.

To achieve this, the Army reached out to industry for concepts that balance speed-to-field with long-term sustainment and operational resilience in austere environments. Desired solutions emphasize modularity, networked early-warning and engagement management, human-machine integration, and AI-enabled automation, while minimizing lifecycle cost and leveraging existing logistics infrastructure where possible. Increment 4 aims to deliver systems that keep lightly armored and dismounted forces protected for sustained operations, improving survivability and freedom of maneuver across contested environments.

New Lightweight Turret by Moog

Engineered to meet the U.S. Army’s M-SHORAD Increment 4 requirements, Moog’s Lightweight Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (LW RIwP) is a compact, transportable variant of the proven Standard RIwP (SD RIwP) turret, and newest member of our RIwP family. Purpose-built for light vehicles such as the ISV, the LW RIwP delivers class-leading firepower, including a 30 mm gun and multiple missile/rocket effectors, in a weight and space-optimized package.

“With 95% component commonality between our fielded Standard Design RIwP and our new Lightweight Design, it’s allowed our team to iterate design concepts to live fire demonstration in record time.” explained COL(R) Doug White, Business Development Lead for RIwP at Moog. “We substituted aluminum for steel and narrowed the turret ring base to fit slimmer vehicles. The compact form enables mounting on a variety of platforms and transport by aircraft or to be sling loaded by helicopter.” The LW RIwP weighs less than 950 lbs., about one-third the weight of the SD RIwP, and is well suited for platforms such as the ISV, Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) or small unmanned ground and surface vehicles.

The design prioritizes tactical mobility and sustainment: a compact form for efficient airlift and sling-load transport, increased onboard ammunition for longer engagements, and full compatibility and commonality with Moog’s fielded SD RIwP. Shared software, training, user interfaces, and sustainment infrastructure streamline integration and lower lifecycle cost while retaining the pinpoint accuracy and battlefield reliability demonstrated in the SGT Stout and M-LIDS programs.

“The Lightweight RIwP answers the Army’s need for more agile, lethal, and interoperable solutions for light force formations,” said Mike Gruver, Senior Vice President, Defense Division at Moog. “It provides more effectors, more ammo, and greater flexibility in a smaller, transportable package.”

RIwP Family Design Comparison

RIwP Family Design Comparison

As air threats continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace, solutions like Moog’s Lightweight RIwP demonstrate how industry innovation can align with the Army’s vision for agile and rapidly deployable air-defense systems. M-SHORAD Increment 4 is a critical step toward improving survivability and freedom of maneuver across contested environments for light forces, and by adapting to the critical driving factors of light vehicles Moog is setting the foundation for resilient air-defense capabilities that will meet the challenges of today and the demands of tomorrow.