- Yes
- No
Introduction
The MSI Terrahawk Lightweight (LW30M) is a modular, self-contained, Very Short-Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) system developed by UK (Norfolk) based MSI Defence Systems, a defence manufacturer well established in the naval armaments sector. The Terrahawk is an evolution of the proven Seahawk naval gun systems (hence the name), designed to counter modern aerial, land, and maritime threats, particularly unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The Lightweight version of the system is a cut-down version of the Terrahawk Paladin, aiming to fit on vehicles in the 4x4/6x6 weight class, as opposed to rather unwieldy 8x8s.
The system integrates a range of advanced components to achieve high levels of accuracy and lethality. The eyes of the system are the Openworks Vision Pace, providing a thermal imager, electro-optical sensor suite, and a laser rangefinder. The Vision Pace as mounted on the SUPACAT is configured with a radar, the EchoDyne EchoShield, an advanced, compact pulse doppler system capable of identifying larger targets at a range of up to 12.5km, but specialising in locating smaller, drone size targets within a 4km envelope.
The Terrahawk LW30M is armed with the Northrop Grumman 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II autocannon, capable of firing programmable airburst munitions, proximity-fuzed rounds, and HE-I shells out to 3 km at up to 200rpm. The MSI Terrahawk LW30M system was first shown mounted on SUPACATs 6x6 High Mobility Transporter (HMT), in its new Armoured Closed Cab (ACC) configuration, at the DVD2024 exhibition. Being incredibly new, this land-based system currently does not have any orders for mass-production, but with the rapidly increasing role that small drones are playing on the modern battlefield it may well end up being a success.
In-game, despite being a very modern vehicle, its capabilities are broadly similar to something like the M247, owing to the rather lethargic fire rate of the Bushmaster. It would therefore be a perfect fit, in my opinion, for a ~9.0 SPAA for the British, an area where the tree is currently lacking. This vehicle features a reduced feature set when compared to the full-size Terrahawk Paladin, with worse radar coverage, but it does make up for it by not being the size of a large schoolbus.
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