Northrop Grumman targets Raid Hunter production-level prototype by end of Q2 2027

A scale-model Northrop Grumman's Raid Hunter gun-based C-UAS system alongside a model 50 mm round. (Janes/Jordan McDonald)

Northrop Grumman said it was seeking to produce a production-level prototype of its Raid Hunter counter-unmanned aerial system (UAS) platform by the end of second quarter 2027.

“So far we're on a great course to get the full prototype,” Jon Ferko, director of business development for Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) /Raid Hunter, told Janes. “We're doing capability demonstrations, almost like once a month where we're testing out the gun and then the muzzle philosophy. We're tying a radar to the gun and tracking things. We're adding into the C2 and we're bringing components together.”

Ferko said, speaking to Janes on 14 October at the 2026 AUSA exposition, that the push to bring a production-level prototype to market is being spurred on by current conflicts and threats in hotspots like Ukraine. He said the platform has already generated interest from the US Air Force and Army, as well as international partners.

Northrop Grumman has also been working with the US Navy about moving Raid Hunter-like systems to operation at a higher calibre of munition, according to Ferko.

Ferko told Janes Northrop Grumman will have invested over USD100 million into the programme by the time it produces a full prototype at the end of Q2 2027.

Raid Hunter, formerly known as 50 mm Gun-Based Air Defense (GBAD), is a gun-based counter-UAS system. It utilises an SRC Gryphon R1810 radar to detect, and 50mm munitions fired from Bushmaster Chain Guns to intercept, UAS systems at short ranges. Ferko estimated the battery's unclassified operational range at 5 km.