US Marines rush to field two air defense systems amid global threats
By Megan Eckstein
Wednesday, Jan 17
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The U.S. Marine Corps is pushing two air defense systems closer to fielding this year, as emerging threats in Europe and the Middle East highlight the need to keep Marine units safe from incoming missiles and drones.
The Medium-Range Intercept Capability, which rapidly integrated several existing systems to create a new cruise missile defense capability, is moving into training and integration this year ahead of an operational assessment in September. The Corps plans to hand over the first system to 1st Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion in Hawaii in June 2025.
The service also announced this month it successfully tested the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, in December during a live-fire event that saw the system shoot down several drones at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.
Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, the deputy commandant for combat development and integration, told Defense News in a Jan. 12 interview that integrated air and missile defense is becoming increasingly important for the service’s future operating plans and its Force Design modernization initiative.
https://www.defensenews.com/land/2024/01/17/us-marines-rush-to-field-two-air-defense-systems-amid-global-threats/
