MBDA unveiled its new MANPADS VSHORAD system at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
MBDA unveiled its new manportable very short-range air-defence (MANPADS VSHORAD) system at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024 being held from 22 to 28 July. The system is under development for the Italian Army.
The company said in a press release on 22 July that the VSHORAD missile is a supersonic, fire-and-forget, all-day interceptor, equipped with a seeker with image-processing capabilities. It is designed to target fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, small unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles.
An MBDA spokesperson told Janes on 24 July that the system is in the 5 km range class, compliant with NATO's VSHORAD classification, and in the 10 kg weight class. She said it can be used day and night in all weather, and its new-generation electro-optical seeker with associated image processing, combined with its launcher's electro-optical viewfinder, give it robustness against countermeasures.
The systems' main application is as a shoulder-launched MANPADS but it can also be launched from a vehicle, according to the spokesperson. It is designed for easy integration into current or future vehicles equipped with automated turrets. At its stand at Farnborough, MBDA is displaying a model of the system integrated into an Iveco Defence Vehicles (IDV) Veicolo Tattico Legerro Multiruolo (VTLM) 2 4×4 light multirole tactical vehicle. Being manportable, the VSHORAD system is suitable for airborne and amphibious forces, according to MBDA. It will also be integrated into MBDA's Sky Warden modular, scalable, and evolvable counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS). The spokesperson said it can be used as a standalone system or fully integrated into a multilayered air-defence network.
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