U.S. Army seeks 11,000 missiles to replace Stinger

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2–3 minutes

Summary

Army sought industry proposals for 11,000 next-generation air defense missiles to begin replacing the Stinger in fiscal 2028.

Why this matters

The plan shows how the Army is updating short-range air defenses as drones and other aerial threats evolve. It also signals a long-term procurement effort affecting missile makers and existing Stinger-based systems.

The U.S. Army plans to order 11,000 next-generation short-range air defense missiles to replace the aging FIM-92 Stinger.

A new Army request for information sought companies that could deliver 11,000 Next Generation Short Range Interceptor missiles, or NGSRI, beginning in fiscal 2028. Responses were due July 6.

The request asked companies to “provide projected unit cost estimates given a planning factor of 11,000 NGSRI missiles and 2,200 Control Launch Assemblies over a ten-year production period.” It said planners should assume procurement of 200 missiles and 20 control launch assemblies in fiscal 2028, and 500 missiles and 20 control launch assemblies in fiscal 2029, with an additional scenario that doubled low-rate initial production quantities in both years.

The Army described NGSRI as a “high performance, soldier portable, fire and forget, surface to air missile system capable of defeating rotary wing, fixed wing, and Group 2/3 unmanned aircraft system threats.”

M-SHORAD Increment 1, renamed Sgt. Stout, mounted Stinger missiles, a 30 mm cannon, and a 7.62 mm machine gun on a radar-equipped Stryker. Increment 2 tested a 50-kilowatt laser on a Stryker.

Increment 3 would replace the Stinger with the faster, longer-range NGSRI. The Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center said the Stinger reaches Mach 2 in part because it is “powered by a traditional solid fuel rocket motor.” NGSRI is expected to reach Mach 3. RTX and Northrop Grumman tested versions of the missile using a Highly Loaded Grain solid rocket motor last year.

In February 2026, RTX said it demonstrated NGSRI’s “to track drone targets and be fired from a man-portable launcher.”

The missile is designed for vehicle-mounted and shoulder-fired launchers, and will be compatible with existing Stinger launchers, including Sgt. Stout and the Marine Corps Air-to-Air Launcher.

The Army also asked contractors how they would integrate NGSRI with Sgt. Stout. “The company shall describe the approach and cost per kit for retrofitting the SGT STOUT to fire the missile from the Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher,” the request said. It added that “there will be 248 SGT STOUTs with up to two Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher launchers per platform.”

The Stinger entered service in the early 1980s, replacing the FIM-43 Redeye. It was used in several conflicts, including the Soviet-Afghan War, where Afghan militants used U.S.-supplied Stingers against Soviet Mi-24 helicopter gunships.

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