US Marines’ latest Air Defense System Takes Down Drone

The LMADIS, or the Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System, is the Marine Corps newest successful reaction to enemy drones. With the ability to attach itself to the Marines’ MRZR all-terrain vehicles, it looks more like a mad max vehicle than an anti-drone system used by the United States Marine Corps. Once attached the LMADIS’ objective is simply, target and take down drones.

These vehicle are designed to operate in pairs, with one supplying command and control, and the other deploying the actual system. Not long ago, the take down of an Iranian drone was attributed to the LMADIS. The drone was flying above the extremely confrontational Strait of Hormuz, when it was shot down within a thousand yards of a Navy warship.

Using a radar in conjunction with a system of cameras, the LMADIS can scan the air and distinguish between US or enemy aircrafts simultaneously. Being able to  differentiate between friend and foe is a very important quality, as the US Army utilizes lots of drones for surveillance. One of their newest technologies is the Black Hornet pocket drone, which can fit in the palm of your hand.  Once the unmanned aircraft is verified as a threat by the LMADIS, it sends out a series of radio frequencies that can concurrently jam its communication capabilities and cripple its electrical equipment, causing the aircraft to crash.

While both the 22nd and 13th Marine Expeditionary Units have trained on the LMADIS, the system is only in use by the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. They are currently using this system with their ground-based assault vehicles, but there are plans to begin using it within the Navy and testing has begun on multiple different ships.

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