In Vietnam, on March 12, 1970, U.S. Army Sgt. Mitchell William Stout grabbed an enemy grenade thrown into his bunker and used his body to shield the blast from his fellow soldiers. Stout’s bunker position came under heavy enemy mortar fire and ground attack, with the enemy grenade exploding as he reached the door. Sgt. Stout is the only Army air defense artilleryman in history to earn the Medal of Honor. Now a new Army maneuver-short-range air defense system will take his name, the Sgt. Stout SHORAD system.
Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, seven years ago, raised concerns over the lack of short-range air defense capability in Europe. The Sgt. Stout system was developed in record time, with the first platoon deploying to Europe in 2021. The Army is now fielding its third Sgt. Stout battalion at Fort Cavazos, Texas, with plans to begin fielding the fourth battalion at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, in the third quarter of fiscal 2025. The service’s potential acquisition objective is 361 systems.
Two more variants of Sgt. Stout vehicles are in development, including a 50-kilowatt laser weapon version. A decision on the directed-energy SHORAD capability is expected in the next five fiscal years. Another variant is focused on providing a next-generation Stinger missile and a 30mm proximity fuse ammunition. The Army awarded contracts for the Stinger replacement in September 2023 and is conducting efforts for the improved Stinger and proximity fuse ammunition using a rapid prototyping strategy. A decision on production is anticipated in the second quarter of FY28.
