PARIS AIR SHOW -- The U.S. Army is retrofitting Stinger missiles, produced by Raytheon, with proximity fuzes to help counter the growing threat of enemy unmanned aircraft systems. The enhancement enables the lightweight, self-contained Stinger air defense system to destroy a wider array of battlefield threats by detonating its warhead near the target, while maintaining the missile's proven hit-to-kill capability.
A pair of Stinger missiles intercepted two small unmanned aircraft systems using proximity fuzes during a U.S. Army test. Proximity fuzes allow missiles to destroy targets with direct hits or by detonating near them.
"The Stinger enhancement gives our troops exactly what they need - an affordable and effective way to defeat the growing number of enemy UAS targets in the skies above the battlefield," said Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. "The counter-UAS mission is so critical; several allied nations are interested in this upgraded Stinger."
The Army completed qualification testing on the new proximity fuze and will begin delivering the enhanced Stinger missile to soldiers later this year.
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