The United States Marine Corps has begun fielding a new mobile weapons system designed to detect and destroy enemy drones and other aerial threats, marking a significant upgrade to its short-range air defenses, according to a new announcement.
Known as the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, the platform transforms two Joint Light Tactical Vehicles into a coordinated hunter-killer team. One vehicle is optimized to target drones, while the other focuses on manned aircraft such as helicopters and fixed-wing planes.
Now in full-rate production, MADIS is built by Norway-based defense firm Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The system allows Marines to engage aerial threats while on the move or from fixed positions, without the need for additional support units.
Each MADIS vehicle is equipped with advanced sensors, targeting software and a mix of weapons, including Stinger missiles and a 30mm cannon. Together, the paired vehicles provide a rapid and flexible response to the growing threat posed by unmanned aerial systems on the battlefield.
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Drones play an increasingly central role in modern warfare
The system replaces the Marines' older man-portable air defense systems, which required troops to dismount from their vehicles to engage targets. MADIS keeps crews protected inside armored vehicles while offering faster reaction times and improved accuracy.
The latest version of MADIS includes upgraded targeting algorithms, enhanced sensor capabilities and improved mobility. Its modular design allows for future upgrades as new aerial threats emerge.
Marine units have already begun training with the system, including live-fire exercises in California and Hawaii. The first operational live-fire test took place earlier this year during Exercise Balikatan, a large multinational drill in the Asia-Pacific region.
As drones play an increasingly central role in modern warfare, particularly in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, United States military planners see systems like MADIS as essential to protecting forces against low-flying, hard-to-detect aerial threats.