The Air Force Wants A Cannon to Shoot Down Drones

The U.S. Air Force is exploring a ground-based, medium-caliber cannon to defend its overseas bases against threats ranging from small drones to Group 5 unmanned aircraft and subsonic cruise missiles. This ground-based air defense mission has typically been handled by the Army.

The service issued a request for information outlining 15 baseline requirements, including salvo probability of kill, effective slant range, elevation coverage, magazine depth, raid handling, integrated sensor capability, C2 system integration, system interoperability, cost per engagement, manpower, built-in test, transportability, weapon safety, and multi-domain engagement capability. The goal is to let a cheaper, deeper magazine weapon handle drones and cruise missiles, freeing expensive interceptors like Patriots for other targets.

The Air Force has not selected a gun, caliber, or committed to buying any system yet. The RFI is only market research, but it signals how the airbase defense problem has changed.

Sources: Task & Purpose (YouTube)