Miles Jamison 
- Raytheon has completed the NGSRI flight test as it develops a successor to the Stinger missile
- The interceptor demonstrated its ability to detect, track and defeat simulated aerial threats
- The test launches used the soldier-portable Command Launch Assembly for system validation
Raytheon, an RTX business, demonstrated its Next Generation Short Range Interceptor, or NGSRI, system during a test at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah as the company works to replace the U.S. Army’s Stinger surface-to-air missile.
How Did NGSRI Perform During the Test?
Raytheon said Wednesday the demonstration involved the launch of several guided missiles using the system’s soldier-portable Command Launch Assembly. With support from missile seeker optics and Northrop Grumman‘s highly loaded grain solid rocket motor, NGSRI identified, tracked and engaged simulated airborne threats.
Tom Laliberty, president of land and air defense systems at Raytheon, said the system builds on the company’s Stinger experience while aiming to provide a weapon that is easier to build and field.
“Raytheon’s NGSRI saw farther and locked faster, demonstrating superior target acquisition, longer range and greater lethality than Stinger – which is already the world’s most in-demand and shoulder-fired air defense system,” said Laliberty.
The flight test follows earlier NGSRI demonstrations, including subsystem evaluations, which validated the command launch assembly’s extended range and its missile warhead assembly’s precision and lethality. The company also tested Northrop’s solid rocket motor propellant technology, validating its key components of the interceptor’s design.
What Is the Army’s NGSRI Program?
NGSRI is an Army effort aimed at developing a short-range missile that can be launched from vehicle platforms or shoulder-mounted systems. The missile will use a modular architecture to maintain interoperability with current and future mounted platforms and support faster development and production. The interceptor is intended to succeed the Stinger system.
