Lockheed Martin announced the flight test of NGSRI short-range air defence missile, mainly pitched as a successor to the long-serving FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS.
Following the signing of the contract to develop the Next-Generation Short Range Interceptor (NGSRI) in 2023, Lockheed Martin flight tested its replacement for Stinger missiles, which have been in service for 45+ years. Raytheon is also developing a new missile, competing with Lockheed Martin, in the NGSRI programme and has tested the missile components.
Lockheed Martin shared an image of the test munition used in the flight test, which has a twin canard layout pointing out to a rolling airframe (Like RIM-116 missile). It is known that the missiles will be compatible with existing Stinger launchers, including man-portable ones and helicopter launchers.
NGSRI is aiming for improved kinematic performance (Range, agility, altitude coverage...) and guidance compared to the legacy Stinger missiles. No details are available on the range or guidance, but it is known that new MANPADS-class missiles can reach a range of 8+ km and some feature imaging seekers, which are more resistant to countermeasures.
Another area of improvement can be expected in effectiveness against UAVs through the new seeker and possibly warhead.
