The United Kingdom has initiated the next stage of its Mounted Short Range Air Defence (MSHORAD) program by awarding an assessment contract to Thales UK, aiming to replace the British Army’s aging Stormer HVM air defense vehicles. This phase will define both a new armored platform and a flexible, multi-role launcher system to meet future operational requirements. The agreement, signed via Defence Equipment and Support, represents a major step in upgrading the army’s air defense framework.
Estimated at £48 million, the program will run until late 2028. The current system, built around the Stormer vehicle, uses Starstreak and Martlet missiles and has been in service since the 1990s, primarily designed to engage short-range aerial threats up to 7 kilometers away.
The upcoming MSHORAD solution is expected to retain these missile systems while introducing additional features such as a 30mm cannon to address modern threats, particularly unmanned aerial systems. The platform itself may be sourced from the Land Mobility Program, which is set to deliver thousands of new vehicles to replace older fleets.
Among the likely competitors, Moog is offering its adaptable RIwP turret system, which supports various weapon configurations. In parallel, Thales UK is collaborating with L3Harris Technologies to develop an integrated command-and-control architecture, combining advanced tracking and battlefield management tools to improve operational effectiveness.
