--- title: "Company Behind Drone-Killing Hellfire Missile-Armed Buggy Set To Get Marine Corps Contract" description: "The U.S. Marine Corps says it is planning to award a sole-source contract for a new [AGM-114 Hellfire]() missile-armed mobile counter-drone system to defense contractor V2X. This is the same firm that developed the Tempest, a high-mobility 4x4 vehicle with…" date: "2026-02-03" modified: "2026-02-03" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick" url: "https://www.twz.com/land/company-behind-drone-killing-hellfire-missile-armed-buggy-set-to-get-marine-corps-contract" categories: - "AGM-114 Hellfire" - "Air" - "Air Force Munitions" - "Air-To-Ground" - "Counter-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (C-UAS)" - "Drones" - "Land" - "News & Features" - "Sea" - "U.S. Marine Corps" tags: - "Modern Day Marine 2026" --- # Company Behind Drone-Killing Hellfire Missile-Armed Buggy Set To Get Marine Corps Contract ![The U.S. Marine Corps says it is planning to award a sole-source contract for a new AGM-114 Hellfire missile-armed mobile counter-drone system to defense contractor V2X.]() *V2X* The U.S. Marine Corps says it is planning to award a sole-source contract for a new [AGM-114 Hellfire]() missile-armed mobile counter-drone system to defense contractor V2X. This is the same firm that developed the Tempest, a high-mobility 4x4 vehicle with launchers for [radar-guided Longbow Hellfires]() and optimized for shooting down uncrewed aerial threats. At least two Tempest vehicles are now in active service in Ukraine, where they [first emerged unexpectedly earlier this month](). https://twitter.com/front\_ukrainian/status/2011070948791775254 Last week, Marine Corps Systems Command (MARSCORSYSCOM) [quietly put out a contracting notice]() regarding what it is currently referring to as the Denied Area Sprinter-Hellfire (DASH) system. "The program office within Program Executive Officer, Land Systems (PEO LS) Marine Corps for the Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) intends to award a hybrid contract (Firm-Fixed Price and Cost Type) on a sole-source basis to V2X ... for the Denied Area Sprinter-Hellfire (DASH) system," according to the notice. "The Marine Corps has a unique and specific need to procure Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft System already at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-9 level, to support dismounted Marines." "The DASH system fills a critical need to detect, identify, track, and defeat small UAS in a highly mobile, rugged form factor that will help protect Marines," the notice continues. "The United States Government intends to procure up to 50 systems to include training, initial spares, and reimbursable repairs with an expected delivery date for two systems of no later than 30 May 2026 and delivery of the remaining 48 systems no later than December 2026 to meet an FY27 initial operational capability requirement. This effort is expected to be awarded in Fiscal Year 2026." The notice does not provide specific details about the DASH system's configuration. *TWZ* has reached out to the U.S. Marine Corps and V2X for more information. ![]() *V2X's Tempest system on display at the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) main annual convention in October 2025. *V2X** However, the mention of TRL-9 does point to DASH being a Marine Corps version of Tempest or a direct derivative thereof. In U.S. government contracting parlance, TRL-9 refers to systems that are not just [fully developed, but that have also proven themselves]() in operationally relevant conditions. V2X first unveiled Tempest at the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) main annual convention in Washington, D.C., last October. The configuration that has been seen to date, including in Ukraine, consists of a pair of launch rails for Hellfire missiles and a small form factor active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar mounted on what looks to be a modified [Can-Am Maverick X3]() 4x4 off-road buggy. https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/2010422473318420727 https://twitter.com/historicfirearm/status/2010688940232020025 The vehicle also has an array of antennas mounted on the left rear side, which are likely tied to a [passive radio frequency (RF) detection system](). The system does not have any other readily apparent sensors, such as electro-optical and/or infrared cameras. The combination of the radar and a passive RF detection system would be enough to enable the vehicle to be able to spot and track drones, and then cue its AGM-114L Longbow Hellfires to intercept them. Unlike the majority of Hellfire variants that are laser-guided, the AGM-114L has a millimeter wave radar seeker. Despite originally being designed to engage targets on land and at sea, the Longbow variant of the Hellfire has been in increasing use in the anti-air role in recent years. This extends beyond ground-based platforms, with the AGM-114L now having demonstrated counter-drone capability when employed in the [surface-to-air mode from ships]() and as an air-to-air weapon launched [from crewed]() and [uncrewed aircraft](). ![]() *The U.S. Navy's *Freedom* class Littoral Combat Ship USS *Milwaukee* fires an AGM-114L during a test. USN* https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1840877417591677141 At the same time, it is still possible that V2X may have developed a variation on this concept for the Marine Corps that uses a different underlying platform. The fact that the Tempest system can be installed on something as small and lightweight as a modified Can-Am Maverick X3 underscores the potential for it to be ported over to an array of other vehicles. V2X itself has said in the past that [it was working on a trailer-based version]() intended primarily for point defense of static sites. It's also worth noting here that laser-guided Hellfires can even be employed in a [man-portable configuration using tripod launchers]() on the ground, further speaking to the adaptability of the missile to different launch environments. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1737220499292471315 For its part, the Marine Corps has already fielded counter-drone systems mounted on 4x4 [Polaris MRZR]() all-terrain vehicles, which it calls [Light Marine Air Defense Integrated Systems]() (LMADIS). A complete LMADIS system consists of one MRZR with small AESA radars, electro-optical cameras, and passive RF detection capability paired with another one of the vehicles carrying an electronic warfare jammer. Marines also train to employ shoulder-fired heat-seeking [Stinger surface-to-air missiles](), also known as man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), in conjunction with LMADIS. An early version of LMADIS, lashed to the deck of the *Wasp* class amphibious assault ship USS *Boxer*, was [used to knock down an Iranian drone]() as the ship transited the Strait of Hormuz back in 2019. ![]() *One of the Marine Corps existing LMADIS buggies. *USMC** The Marines also have MADIS systems that utilize the 4x4 [Joint Light Tactical Vehicle]() (JTLV). Like LMADIS, the larger MADIS distributes different sensors and effectors between individual JLTVs, as you can read more about [here](). ![]() *A pair of Joint Light Tactical Vehicle-based MADIS platforms. *USMC* US Marine Corps Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) vehicles. *USMC** Regardless, V2X's Tempest or a variation on the system mounted on a different vehicle would give the Marines a new, highly mobile platform for engaging drones and potentially other aerial threats. AGM-114Ls could be used against helicopters and some types of cruise missiles under certain conditions. It might also be possible to engage fixed-wing aircraft, but the range and speed of the Hellfire present significant limitations against that target set. A platform like the Can-Am Maverick X3 also allows for the employment of ‘shoot and scoot’ tactics. This means the system can pop up suddenly and reposition just as quickly, helping to create unpredictability for opponents and reduce vulnerability to counterattacks. This is a capability that is also beneficial for responding to aerial threats that might emerge unexpectedly. As already noted, Ukrainian authorities say they have been making good use of their Tempest systems to knock down incoming Russian drones. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/2010254332177133892 All of this aligns with the Marine Corps vision for future expeditionary and distributed operations, especially in [island-hopping scenarios]() in the context of [a high-end fight in the Pacific](). The service sees relatively small force packages operating from forward bases spread across broad areas, [likely within range of enemy stand-off weapons](). These are concepts of operations in which mobile air defense capabilities with low operational and logistical footprints would be advantageous, if not essential, to mission success. Hellfire-armed air defense systems have historically presented cost benefits, as well. [As of 2020](), Hellfire had an average cost, *across all variants*, of more than $200,000, though AGM-114Ls were likely substantially more expensive. As a comparison, the cost of a single Stinger missile has reportedly surged in recent years [to as high as $400,000](). Past reports have also said that Raytheon's [Coyote Block 2 counter-drone interceptors](), which are [growing in popularity across the U.S. military](), have unit costs in the $100,000 range. It is important to point out that the AGM-114L is now out of production, according to prime contractor Lockheed Martin. That company has recently been [touting potential anti-air applications]() for the successor to the Hellfire family, the [AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missile]() (JAGM), which has a dual-mode laser and millimeter wave guidance system. With the schedule the Marines have laid out for the DASH effort, targeting delivery of the first pair of systems by May, more specific details about the system and its capabilities may now emerge in the coming weeks and months. *Contact the author: joe@twz.com* ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()