Northrop Grumman has introduced Raid Hunter, the official name for its new 50mm Gun-Based Air Defense system. The system is designed to protect military bases, airfields and other critical sites from cruise missiles, drone swarms and other aerial threats.
Raid Hunter is a new short-range air defense system built to handle large and mixed aerial attacks. It combines a 50mm cannon, guided ammunition and a networked control system to provide rapid fire against incoming threats.
Northrop Grumman developed Raid Hunter as part of its Raid Defense Solutions portfolio. The company already works on counter-drone and integrated air defense systems, including its Bushmaster Chain Gun family.
Cruise missile, drone swarm threats
Modern military bases face growing threats from large numbers of drones and cruise missiles. Using expensive interceptor missiles against every low-cost threat can quickly use up available defenses.
Raid Hunter is designed to help fill this short-range defense gap. Its deep ammunition supply is intended to give defenders more shots against large attacks.
The system combines a high-rate-of-fire 50mm Chain Gun with precision-guided ammunition. The ammunition is designed to improve accuracy, reducing the need to fire large numbers of unguided rounds.
Northrop Grumman says the system also uses networked battle management. This allows sensors, command systems and the gun to work together as part of a wider layered defense.
Defense system has modular design
Raid Hunter has a modular design that can be transported by C-130 aircraft. Northrop Grumman also plans vehicle-mounted and container-based versions, which could give military forces more deployment options.
The company says the system is intended to counter cruise missiles, unmanned aircraft systems and other advanced aerial threats. Its use of guided ammunition also builds on Northrop Grumman’s existing work on smart medium-caliber weapons.
Raid Hunter is still being developed and tested. Northrop Grumman says planned testing will help validate the system and support future fielding, so its final operational performance has not yet been established.
The main breakthrough is combining a 50mm gun with guided ammunition for high-volume short-range air defense. The approach could give military forces another option when large numbers of relatively low-cost aerial threats make relying only on missiles difficult.
Northrop Grumman says Raid Hunter will become part of its broader Raid Defense Solutions approach. The company is focusing on layered defenses that combine sensors, command systems and kinetic weapons to respond to increasingly complex air attacks.
