GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) executed Operation Skyfall II on October 5–6, 2026, at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Bavaria, evaluating integrated air-and-ground Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) tactics.
The live-fire exercise evaluated operational data-sharing protocols linking ground-based air defense sensors with rotary-wing aviation assets to detect, track, and destroy incoming uncrewed target drones (Outlaw-series targets). Participating forces included the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADAR) operating SGT STOUT (M-SHORAD Inc 1) platforms and AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radars, alongside AH-64E Apache v6 crews from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (12th CAB) under the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade.
Concurrently, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) unveiled an initial light C-UAS prototype for the U.S. Army’s M-SHORAD Increment 4 program—integrating a modular Self-Loading Equipment Dock (SLED) pallet with an XM1223 30 mm cannon mounted on a Ford Ranger commercial chassis for Mobile Brigade Combat Teams (MBCTs). 
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: SGT STOUT (M-SHORAD INC 1) & M-SHORAD INC 4 ARCHITECTURE
* Operating Units: 5-4 ADAR (52nd ADA Bde) & 12th CAB (U.S. Army Europe and Africa)
* SGT STOUT Platform Baseline (Stryker A1 8×8 C-UAS / SHORAD Vehicle):
* Primary Armament: XM914 30 mm chain gun (30×113 mm) and M240 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun
* Missile Ordnance: Dual Quad-Pack launchers for FIM-92 Stinger infrared-guided missiles and AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire radar-guided missiles
* Target Acquisition & Tracking Sensors: Rada RPS-42 Hemispheric S-band AESA radar array paired with MX-RTM electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) turret
* Sensor Fusion & Target Data Link Pipeline (Operation Skyfall II):
* Sensor Node: AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel X-band 3D phased-array radar detecting low-altitude, small-RCS UAV targets
* Fire Direction & Data Transfer: Target telemetry routed via Tactical Operations Center (TOC) digital networks to AH-64E Apache v6 combat helicopters
* Engagement Mechanism: Apache crews executed air-to-air kinetic intercepts of target drones cued by ground-based Sentinel tracks prior to visual acquisition
* Next-Gen Light Air Defense Development (M-SHORAD Increment 4):
* Platform Integration: Palletized SLED-mounted system configured for commercial 4×4 light utility chassis (e.g., Ford Ranger / ISV) tailored for Mobile Brigade Combat Teams
* Kinetic Effector: XM1223 30 mm lightweight chain gun firing proximity-fuzed airburst ammunition
* Target Initial Operational Capability (IOC): Scheduled for late FY2029
