Marine Corps Orders Hellfire-Armed Vehicles Built to Strike Drones and Move

The Marine Corps has awarded a $19 million contract for 10 highly mobile Tempest counter-drone vehicles designed to launch Hellfire missiles and leave the firing position before the weapons reach their targets.

A Pentagon contract announcement issued Aug. 11 confirmed the $19,062,156 award to Vertex Modernization and Sustainment, an Indianapolis-based V2X company.

The agreement covers the vehicles, software, spare parts, training and support services. Work is expected to continue through Aug. 10, 2027.

The order is part of the Marine Corps’ Denied Area Sprinter-Hellfire program, known as DASH. Program Manager Ground Based Air Defense at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, is overseeing the acquisition.

The hybrid contract includes firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity components. That structure could allow the Marine Corps to purchase additional systems if the first vehicles perform as expected.

The service previously expressed interest in acquiring as many as 50 Tempest systems. The contract for 10 vehicles represents its first confirmed order.

Designed for Speed and Survivability

Tempest is built on the commercially available Can-Am Maverick X3 off-road vehicle. The lightweight platform is equipped with two missile launchers and sensors capable of detecting, tracking and engaging unmanned aircraft.

Its primary weapon is the radar-guided AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missile. The system is designed to destroy Class 2 and Class 3 drones, categories that generally include larger unmanned aircraft capable of carrying weapons, surveillance equipment or other military payloads.

Tempest follows a “shoot-and-scoot” approach. After firing, the crew can immediately leave the launch site while the fire-and-forget missile continues toward its target.

This reduces the amount of time Marines remain exposed to enemy drones, artillery or other weapons directed at their firing position.

The manufacturer says the system can operate in poor weather and in environments where GPS signals or communications are disrupted. Its commercial components are also intended to simplify repairs and reduce maintenance expenses.

A trailer-mounted version is available for defending fixed installations, but the vehicle-mounted configuration gives Marines a mobile system suited for dispersed operations.

Tested Against Real-World Drone Threats

V2X says Tempest has achieved a near-perfect single-shot success rate when used against targets within its intended range and operating limits.

At least two systems have reportedly been used by Ukrainian forces and credited with destroying 21 Shahed-type attack drones.

That operational experience gives the Marine Corps a counter-drone platform that has already been tested against the type of unmanned threat increasingly encountered in modern warfare.

Filling a Gap in Marine Air Defense

Tempest will join a growing collection of Marine Corps systems intended to detect and defeat enemy drones.

The larger Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, uses paired Joint Light Tactical Vehicles armed with Stinger missiles and a 30mm cannon.

The lighter L-MADIS operates from ultra-light tactical vehicles. The system has also been paired with the Bullfrog autonomous weapon station, which uses artificial intelligence to help an M240 machine gun track and engage drones.

Tempest fills a different role within that layered defense.

It is lighter and more mobile than MADIS while offering greater reach than machine-gun-based systems. Instead of remaining in place to provide continuous protection, Tempest is designed for brief engagements followed by rapid movement to a new location.

That combination could be particularly valuable to small Marine units operating from temporary positions across the Pacific, where remaining stationary could make them vulnerable to detection and attack.

What the System Means for Marines

Low-cost reconnaissance and one-way attack drones have become a serious threat to troops, vehicles and installations. Defending against them can require expensive missiles, and units that remain in one location while engaging drones may expose themselves to additional attacks.

Tempest offers Marines another option: locate the drone, launch a Hellfire and relocate immediately.

The first 10 vehicles will not replace the Corps’ other counter-drone systems. Instead, they will provide selected units with an additional mobile, combat-tested weapon while the service continues fielding MADIS, L-MADIS, high-powered microwave weapons and smaller counter-drone equipment.

Its commercial chassis could also make parts easier to obtain and reduce the logistical burden compared with a completely military-specific vehicle.

Production and support work will be centered in Indianapolis, with deliveries continuing into 2027. Additional Tempest orders remain possible if the initial systems meet Marine Corps requirements.