US Air Force seeks missile defense for military air bases
The U.S. Air Force is seeking a ground-based launcher to shield every military air base from cruise missiles and drones of all sizes. An industry Request for Information wants a transportable system with deep magazines and tight command-and-control links, with vendor replies due in early August.
Key Takeaways
- The Air Force issued an RFI for a Ground-Based Launcher to protect installations from cruise missiles and Group 1–5 drones.
- Vendors must address 11 baseline attributes, including magazine depth, firing rate, transportability, and C2 integration.
- The push follows Iranian strikes that hit U.S. and allied bases in the Middle East, destroying an E-3 AWACS and damaging KC-135 tankers.
- The notice is market research only; responses are due in early August and do not commit the service to a buy.
What is the Air Force asking industry to deliver?
According to Military Times, the service wants partners that can provide a Ground-Based Launcher solution to protect Air Force assets. The RFI, linked to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is non-binding market research.
Requirements point to one system that can intercept cruise missiles and unmanned aircraft from Group 1 (under about 21 pounds) through Group 5 (more than 1,320 pounds). That span covers small kamikaze drones up to Global Hawk–sized UAVs.
Contractors are asked to detail firing rate across all magazines, total magazine depth, and seamless command-and-control integration for rapid sensor sharing and weapons cueing. The service also wants a self-contained, easily transportable setup with a laser illuminator for fire control, integrated sensing, cost data, manpower needs, and built-in test diagnostics.
Why does military air base defense matter now?
U.S. and allied bases in the Middle East have been hit hard by Iranian drones and missiles. Reporting cites the destruction of a U.S. E-3 Sentry AWACS, damage to at least five KC-135 tankers at Saudi airbases, and the loss of multiple air defense radars.
Ukraine and Russia have likewise used massed drones and missiles to overwhelm defenses and burn through interceptor stocks. The Air Force is therefore pressing for magazine depth and rapid cueing, not just a single-shot interceptor.
Even before recent fighting, Air Force debate had grown over relying on the Army for airfield defense. Expeditionary bases often lack Patriot-class coverage, and Air Force security forces are poorly equipped for air defense. Broader Future Tech & AI Wonders coverage tracks how sensing, cueing, and affordable kinetic interceptors are reshaping base protection.
Could one launcher really stop drones and cruise missiles?
That is exactly the ask: a single ground launcher able to engage every UAS weight class plus cruise missiles. Industry must also outline munition type, onboard sensors, and whether a laser illuminator guides or confirms targets.
Related Air Force efforts include Point Defense Battle Lab RFIs on detecting small drones and kinetic hard-kill options, plus interest in Hydra-70 rockets with APKWS guidance against swarms. Separately, the Counter-Air Missile Program aims for interceptors priced under $500,000 and produced at least 1,000 per year.
Background references include Joint Publication 3-01 on countering air and missile threats. Nothing in the notice guarantees a fielded system—only that the Air Force is surveying what industry can build for the next fight over the runway.