AUSA 2025: U.S. Moog LW RIwP turret readies light vehicles for counter-drone and helicopter threats.

Moog unveiled the Lightweight Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform, or LW RIwP, at AUSA 2025, a reduced-footprint member of the RIwP family pairing a 30 mm cannon with missile effectors, including Stinger. The design targets light tactical vehicles such as the Infantry Squad Vehicle and JLTV-class trucks.

Washington, D.C, Oct 14: Moog unveiled on October 12, 2025, during the AUSA defense exhibition, its Lightweight Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform. The new LW RIwP is pitched for light tactical vehicles, including the Infantry Squad Vehicle, while preserving the signature RIwP mix of a 30 mm cannon paired with multiple missile effectors. Moog emphasizes compact dimensions for rapid airlift and sling-load mobility, along with higher onboard ammunition for longer stints on station. In short, it is a smaller turret designed to deliver the same layered punch the Army wants against drones and helicopters.
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Lightweight RIwP turret with stabilized 30mm cannon, integrated Stinger/rocket pods and modular sensors for mobile C-UAS and SHORAD missions (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).

The LW RIwP is a member of a turret family that shares around 85% commonality across configurations and mounts on a standard 1-meter NATO bearing with zero cabin intrusion, easing integration on JLTV-class trucks and ultralight platforms. Base weight is listed at 1,070 pounds for the lightweight variant, with a 28 VDC electrical architecture per MIL-STD-1275. The drive provides continuous 360-degree azimuth, elevation from minus 20 to plus 60 degrees with an option to plus 80, and firing stability at or below 0.3 milliradian, enabling accurate fire on the move. The fire control suite supports slew-to-cue, programmable airburst and proximity rounds, laser range-finding, and direct radar and C2 integration.

Primary guns include 25 mm M242, 30x113 mm XM914, or 30x173 mm XM813 or Mk44, with typical ready loads between 100 and 250 rounds. Coaxial and secondary weapons range from 5.56 mm to 12.7 mm and grenade launchers. The missile menu spans Stinger for SHORAD, APKWS guided rockets, Coyote and Switchblade loitering munitions, and anti-armor choices such as Javelin, TOW, Spike ER2, Brimstone, and JAGM. Independent gunner and commander sights can be up-armored, and the architecture is designed to swap payloads in minutes with organic maintainers.

This loadout maps cleanly to the Army’s M-SHORAD Increment 4 direction of travel. The RFI for Increment 4 calls for defeating Groups 1 to 3 UAS, along with rotary and close-support fixed-wing threats while keeping the system C-130 transportable, air droppable, and sling-load capable. Moog’s emphasis on efficient airlift and sling-loadability, combined with a Stinger-plus-30 mm PABM baseline and native radar and C2 hooks, aligns with those thresholds and positions LW RIwP as a ready candidate for U.S. fielding.

Mounted on a nimble ISV or JLTV, a lightweight turret that can carry a 30 mm cannon with proximity airburst and a bank of Stingers gives brigade commanders a mobile picket that can push out, maneuver with combined arms teams, and prosecute drones at short notice without calling for a Stryker battery. Stabilization to sub-milliradian levels and hunter-killer controls support fast handoffs and shoot-on-the-move engagements, while the ability to mix effectors on a single ring lets units tailor loadouts for base defense, convoy overwatch, or forward screening of CPs and logistics nodes. These employment concepts mirror recent Army guidance on integrating SHORAD batteries with maneuver formations and division air defense coordinators.

The Army is expanding its SHORAD posture, with congressional analysts noting plans for additional M-SHORAD battalions and persistent concern on Capitol Hill about counter-UAS investment. Meanwhile, the service is experimenting with Increment 4 concepts shaped by recent counter-drone efforts, an acknowledgment that low-cost enemy drones are rewriting the calculus from Ukraine to the Middle East. In that climate, a domestically produced, ITAR-controlled turret already proven in U.S. SHORAD and C-UAS roles offers a low-risk bridge to near-term capability while the Army refines its next architecture.