Stinger is a thing of the past: US company Lockheed Martin is ready to introduce a new anti-aircraft missile for man-portable systems

The Stinger man-portable surface-to-air missile system entered service with the US Army in the early 1980s and, apparently, despite its effectiveness, has become somewhat obsolete.

Lockheed Martin, the largest US arms manufacturer, is ready to offer a replacement for the Stinger and will present its development - a short-range anti-aircraft missile.

Here's What We Know

These days is a major exhibition of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), at which Lockheed Martin will present its new development.

Journalists of the portal Janes talked to representatives of the company and found out that the U.S. military leadership wants the new missile to be compatible with the old installations for its launch, so we can assume that its size will correspond to the Stinger. However, despite this, Lockheed Martin is also developing a new launcher based on modern technology.

The missile is being built as part of the Next Generation Short Range Interceptor (NGSRI) initiative, which has been active since 2023, and its main goal is to find a replacement for the Stinger.

The new missile has already undergone range testing in early 2024, with the next phase of testing to be completed by October 2025. If the tests are successful, production of the unnamed kill vehicle will begin in 2026.

It is known that according to the requirements, the missile should have an increased range, increased speed, resistance to interference and improved effectiveness in defeating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Lockheed Martin is known to be competing with Raytheon on the NGSRI project, but no word yet on its development.

Source: Janes