M-SHORAD is short for Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense. Photo by Christopher Kaufmann

Defense Blog reports,

• Leonardo DRS said its SGT STOUT M-SHORAD system defeated Group 1-2 drone threats during a U.S. government test event using only software updates.
• The Army has fielded SGT STOUT battalions to Germany, Fort Sill, Fort Hood and Fort Bragg, with 36 vehicles per battalion.

I am looking at the mount and the high definition, short range radars, much like what we saw on the PATFORSWA cutters.

That tells us this system is effective against all classes of one way “Kamikaze” attack drones, helicopters and low flying aircraft. It should have a capability against glide bombs and cruise missiles too.

If we traded one of the four pack of Stinger missiles for a pair of Hellfire or JAGM we would have a very capable anti-surface weapon with a range out to 8,000 meters–8.5 nautical miles if JAGM-MR is used. Hellfire has a proven capability to forcibly stop even large merchant ships which I see as a capability requirement implicit in the Coast Guard’s peacetime missions and one which would be required to enforce a blockade, a likely wartime mission.

These mounts are small enough to put on any cutter. They could replace .50 calibers and  arm buoy tenders and icebreakers without significant impact on ship’s stability or manning requirements. They could turn all cutters into mobile defensive positions to protect assets in harbors. All large cutters should probably have two mounts to provide 360 degree fields of fire.

There are of course other short range air defense systems and other remote weapons stations, but this one is relatively small, already proven, and in quantity production.