Flies faster, farther
A highly loaded grain solid rocket motor packs more power into the same footprint
Faster, farther and ready for the future
Built with feedback straight from soldiers, Raytheon’s replacement for the Stinger missile will fight drones and deliver new capabilities
Under a hazy night sky, a soldier stands in a field and scans the horizon for enemy aircraft.
On his shoulder is a missile launcher. Before his eyes is an advanced new optic with enhanced zoom and the ability to see in a way he never thought possible. And in the launcher is a munition that can fly farther and faster than its predecessor.
His eyes could only see a row of trees against a mountain range in the distance. But the optic sees an incoming drone. In seconds, he targets and destroys the threat.
The scenario unfolded during a virtual reality demonstration of Raytheon’s proposed replacement for the Stinger missile. And it showed a glimpse into the future of defense.
Raytheon, an RTX business, built the demonstrator with two objectives: to show the U.S. Army the potential of the business’ Next Generation Short Range Interceptor – and to invite operators to try it for themselves and help refine the design.
“That night scenario was a big aha moment for some of the warfighters who got on this,” said Lindsey Hoffman, Raytheon’s Next Generation Short Range Interceptor capture director. “There was a quote from a Marine, who looked at us and said, ‘This takes the fear away.’ That quote stuck with all of us.”
What can the Next Generation Short Range Interceptor do?
The current Stinger missile, made by Raytheon, can be fired off the shoulder, from the U.S. Army’s SGT STOUT armored vehicle, or an air-based platform like an Apache helicopter. More than 25 countries have depended on the system for over 40 years. Hundreds of the launchers are in use today.
But the battlefield is changing. Weapons have longer ranges. There are more drones, and they’re hard to target. Air spaces are harder to access. So, it became clear that the Stinger missile, effective as it had been, needed an upgrade.
“The legacy Stinger is still the best portable air defense system in the world,” said Brenda Ortiz, Raytheon’s vice president for short-and medium-range ground-based air defense, “but what we can do with NGSRI is really going to take it to the next level.”
In less than two years, Raytheon designed a prototype, incorporated soldier feedback and successfully completed 10 subsystem demonstrations. By the end of 2025, its creators plan to fly the full missile system for the first time.
Here are a few of the system’s highlights
Advanced seeker
The new seeker, when paired with a new shoulder-mounted command launch assembly, can see farther and more clearly – in both night and day scenarios
Backward compatibility
The system is fully compatible with launchers already in the field so it can be used in battle as soon as it’s delivered
Faster production
A composable design and advanced manufacturing means faster development and production to counter increasing numbers of drones
Developing first-of-its-kind technology
Usually, you can make a missile fly far, but it won’t be as fast. Or you can make it faster, only it won’t fly as far. So, how do you make a missile that can do both?
According to Raytheon’s Next Generation Short Range Interceptor Technology Director, Will Strauss, you build something completely new.
Raytheon worked with Northrop Grumman to design a highly loaded grain solid rocket motor, which benefits from packing fuel more densely to improve performance without increasing the motor’s size. In less than six months, they advanced from a proof of concept to a first flight in the missile’s new form.
“The rocket motor itself is a really, really fixed volume, so it is a challenge to get more range out of it,” Strauss said, “but we are getting a significant amount.”
Soldiers will not only be able to fly missiles farther and faster, they’ll also be able to detect threats sooner with an advanced seeker that provides more detail – even for small targets like drones, which give off less heat and are harder to spot.
In January 2025, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman completed their first ballistic test of their novel, highly loaded grain solid rocket motor. The motor would allow Raytheon’s proposed design for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Short Range Interceptor to fly farther and faster to perform better against airborne threats including drones.
Manufacturing with speed
Raytheon is working with the U.S. government to rapidly develop and produce the Next Generation Short Range Interceptor and meet the growing global demand for ground-based air defense. Here’s how.
Basing their designs on proven technologies already in production reduced development time
Rapid prototyping and virtual reality allowed them to incorporate soldier feedback before finalizing the design
Existing Raytheon advanced manufacturing facilities will use automation and robotics to reduce assembly touchpoints
A modular open systems architecture will speed testing and updates
Incorporating soldier feedback
At one of the soldier touchpoints, the team watched as dozens of warfighters experienced the new missile capabilities through the virtual reality demonstrator. After hearing multiple user comments about weight and ergonomics of a multi-component modular launcher design, the team designed a version that’s all one piece, lighter and easier to use.
“When I see our engineering teams taking that (feedback) to heart and then incorporating it in the next change of design, it gives me hope that we are definitely on a path to giving the warfighter the capabilities that they absolutely need and deserve,” said Bill Darne, Raytheon’s director of short-range air defense and counter UAS capabilities.
If selected, Darne said, the virtual reality demonstrator could also help train soldiers. Today, training is limited to special facilities at only a few bases, but the demonstrator could be shipped around the world.
Darne joined Raytheon after retiring from the Army, where he most recently served as a colonel responsible for modernizing air and missile defense. Over his military career, he was deployed to several countries that used the Patriot air and missile defense system, and he led a battalion in Korea outfitted with Stinger missiles.
When it was time to retire, he decided to join Raytheon to build the next generation of air defense.
“We have to provide our soldiers, our warfighters, the capability that delivers every time – not some of the time, not half the time, every time. I will tell you it’s the number one reason I joined this company when I retired,” Darne said. “I spent 27 years on systems that Raytheon had developed, delivered, sustained and maintained in the field. There was never a time when I didn’t have absolute confidence that our systems were going to work the way they were designed and developed to work. And that’s a pretty good feeling.”
