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Marines Test Polaris MRZR-Loaded Drone Destroyer

The war currently taking place in Ukraine has two modern nations fighting each other with some of the most modern weapons available. But aside from weapons and platforms specifically designed for warfare, both Russia and Ukraine throw at each other weaponized commercial drones.
Polaris MRZR carrying anti-drone LMADIS 8 photos
Photo: USMC/Sgt. Servante Coba
Polaris MRZR carrying anti-drone LMADISPolaris MRZRPolaris MRZRPolaris MRZRPolaris MRZRPolaris MRZRPolaris MRZR
The whole world is seeing drones in action in Ukraine on a daily basis. These things seem to be highly effective for the side using them and highly destructive for the other, and that is worrisome for the American military as well.

The nation is thus now actively looking for systems capable of countering the threat of unmanned aircraft systems, including weaponized commercial ones. All branches of the military are involved in this search, including the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).

This week we learned some official details about the tests conducted back in October (check video below) by the USMC’s 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion with a new anti-drone creation called Light Marine Air-Defense Integrated System. LMADIS for short, the technology does not fire projectiles or damaging laser beams, but disrupts the electronic signal between the drone and its operator.

For the test, the LMADIS was loaded onto two relatively small Polaris MRZRs all-terrain vehicles, “one acting as the brain and the other as the brawn,” according to the USMC. Two were needed because the anti-drone system requires an optic hardware, a radar, the dismountable electronic-warfare system, and a multichannel manpack radio system, and the vehicles are rather small.

How exactly the LMADIS does its thing is of course not public knowledge, but the Marines did let America’s enemies know such Polaris-mounted anti-drone work, and they could easily be deployed wherever they’re needed by means of CH-53E Super Stallions, CH-53K King Stallions, and MV-22B Ospreys.

It’s unclear at the moment when LMADIS will be ready for large-scale deployment.

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Editor's note: Gallery shows various Polaris MRZR

About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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