From Europe to the US Army: GDLS’ Pandur 6x6 enters the Air Defense arena
General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is unveiling a modified version of its European-built Pandur 6x6 EVO combat vehicle, now outfitted with a short-range air defense (SHORAD) turret already in service with the US Army. This enhanced variant aims to fill a critical capability gap in maneuver air defense for light infantry and rapid deployment forces.
A Solution for Light Infantry and Joint Forcible Entry Operations
“The intent behind the Pandur is to start looking at how it can fit into the light infantry and the joint forcible entry requirements and operations that the Army has,” said Ray Moldovan, GDLS’s manager for US business development, in an interview with Breaking Defense. “Currently, they don’t have a short-range air defense capability that would basically give that formation the protection that it needs.”
The Army has been actively seeking cost-effective, agile air defense solutions to protect dismounted maneuver forces under its Maneuver-SHORAD (M-SHORAD) Increment 4 program. In mid-2024, the service issued a request for potential air defense platforms capable of countering unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) from Groups 1-3, as well as rotary-wing and fixed-wing threats. This requirement called for alternatives to the larger, more expensive Stryker-based M-SHORAD system, known as the “Sergeant Stout.”
Leveraging Existing Technology for Enhanced Protection
GDLS, already under contract for the Sergeant Stout program, opted to integrate the same turret configuration from Moog’s Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (RIwP) onto the lighter Pandur platform. The RIwP turret includes two Raytheon Stinger Vehicle Universal Launchers (SVULs), each capable of holding four surface-to-air missiles optimized for engaging fast, low-flying aerial threats. Additional firepower is provided by Northrop Grumman’s XM914 30mm Bushmaster Chain Gun and an M240 7.62mm machine gun.
The Pandur SHORAD variant weighs approximately 40,000 lbs, making it about 20,000 lbs lighter than the Stryker-based Sergeant Stout, according to Moldovan. This weight reduction enhances both inter-theater and intra-theater transportability, making the vehicle a more agile and rapidly deployable asset.
A Debut at Global Force 2025 and Further Testing at Fort Sill
The modified Pandur is set to make its first appearance at the upcoming Association of the US Army’s (AUSA) Global Force symposium before being transported to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for participation in the Maneuver and Fires Integrated Experiment (MFI). At Fort Sill, the vehicle will operate alongside the SHORAD variant of the Tracked Robot 10-ton (TRX), showcasing a system-of-systems approach to maneuver air defense.
“We will show those systems operating as a system of systems in that experiment,” Moldovan explained, emphasizing that the Pandur SHORAD variant has dedicated space for robotic vehicle operators in the rear, allowing for the operation of the TRX.
A Strategic Step Forward in Army Air Defense
The introduction of the Pandur SHORAD variant marks a significant step forward in enhancing the Army’s maneuver air defense capabilities. By offering a lighter, more transportable alternative to existing systems, General Dynamics aims to provide the US military with a highly mobile, effective counter-UAS and counter-air threat platform for future battlefields.
As the Army continues to evolve its M-SHORAD strategy, vehicles like the Pandur SHORAD could play a crucial role in protecting maneuver forces from emerging aerial threats, including drones, helicopters, and enemy aircraft. The upcoming MFI experiment at Fort Sill will be a key milestone in demonstrating the vehicle’s effectiveness in operational scenarios, potentially paving the way for future procurement and deployment.
With increasing focus on multi-domain operations and integrated air defense, GDLS’s Pandur SHORAD could emerge as a vital asset in the US Army’s next-generation battlefield strategy.
Pandur 8x8 EVO
In addition to the Pandur 6x6 EVO, which is manufactured by the aforementioned GDELS company, the vehicles are also produced in the 8x8 configuration in the Czech Republic. Our editorial team had the opportunity to visit the manufacturer of the new Pandur 8x8 EVO vehicles, the Czech company Tatra Defence Vehicle (part of the CSG group), where we saw the first welded hull of the new generation of this armoured wheeled vehicle.
Based on the licensing rights acquired by Tatra Defence Vehicle (TDV) from GDELS-Steyr, the Pandur 8x8 armoured vehicles are being fully produced in the Czech Republic, which will also apply to the new generation Pandur 8x8 EVO. We asked Radomir Smolka, TDV's director of research and development, about the main differences between the new generation Pandur 8x8 EVO and the older Pandur II 8x8 CZ version that is in service with our army. "It really is a new generation that meets the standards of the 21st century. Only the name of the original pandur remains. The hull has been completely rebuilt for higher ballistic and mine protection, we have increased the carrying capacity of the vehicle, thus increasing its total weight up to 25 tonnes, and the interior space is also much larger than the generation that is in place in the Czech Army.
The power and torque of the engine have also been increased, so the power-to-weight ratio is the same or slightly higher than that of the original Pandur, and the vehicle's handling characteristics remain unchanged on the road and in the field," says Radomír Smolka, adding that TDV deliberately does not significantly increase the weight or overall height of the Pandur 8x8 EVO, because experience from the Ukrainian battlefield clearly shows the advantages of the low weight and silhouette of armoured vehicles. The Ukrainians also reportedly speak highly of the 8x8 chassis when it comes to the passability of not only armoured vehicles through heavy, waterlogged terrain, due to the better overall weight distribution of the vehicle, confirming that the Pandur 8x8 platform still has relevance.
