Leonardo Hystrix 40 ADS anti-drone artillery system enters testing phase

The dynamics of Leonardo's "Hystrix 40 ADS" anti-drone artillery system were captured by the outside world. (taken from X)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Comprehensive Report] Italian military manufacturer Leonardo continues to experiment with various anti-drone weapons, moving the 40mm naval guns originally installed on warships to land for testing. Foreign military news websites recently disclosed that the outside world has recently revealed the dynamics of Leonardo's "Hystrix 40 ADS" land-based anti-drone artillery. It shows that this system, which is based on a 40 mm naval gun and has a range of about 4.5 kilometers, has entered the testing phase and is striving to complete the prototype artillery target by the end of this year.

Foreign military news website "Defense Blog" reported that Leonardo first disclosed the Hystrix family in February this year and incorporated it into the "Michelangelo Dome" integrated air defense architecture, which uses sensors, command systems and weapons in series to respond to drones, airborne munitions and other low-altitude threats. The entire family is divided into three calibers, among which the Hystrix 76 ADS with a caliber of 76 mm is responsible for longer-range defense work, the Hystrix 40 ADS with a caliber of 40 mm is used for mid-level firepower, and the Hystrix 30 ADS with a caliber of 30 mm and is based on the Lionfish 30 turret.

The Hystrix 40 is based on the Marlin 40 naval gun and can fire 40 mm L70 series ammunition, as well as programmable ammunition. The ship-based version has a rate of fire of up to 100 or 300 rounds per minute, and can carry up to 80 rounds of ready-to-fire ammunition. The effective range is about 4.5 kilometers. The turret can rotate 360 ​​degrees, and the pitch angle ranges from minus 20 degrees to plus 85 degrees, which is enough to track low-altitude targets directly above.

The report stated that another feature of this system is that the turret itself integrates daytime cameras, infrared cameras and laser rangefinders, which can search, track and engage targets on its own without external radar support. Leonardo is also cooperating with MBDA Italy to evaluate and integrate the "Fulgur" extremely short-range anti-aircraft missile still under development to further extend the engagement range of Hystrix 40.

It is worth noting that the Marlin 40 trailer-type configuration has been exported to the air force of an unnamed Far Eastern country, indicating that the concept of "naval gun land use" has an actual market basis.