As drones gain a reputation as a cheap, plentiful weapon on the battlefield, the US Marines Corps is mastering equipment that will track and destroy such systems from far away.

The 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) Battalion of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing of the 2nd Marine Division, based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, has operationalized the anti-drone Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System (LMADIS).

Last October, the battalion tested the LMADIS at Camp Lejeune, the US Marine Corps said in a statement.

The system uses radio signals to disrupt and neutralize a drone rather than shooting it down.

The LMADIS currently uses two Polaris MRZR combat vehicles, "one acting as the brain and the other as the brawn," according to the Corps.

"Together, they house the CM262U optic, which acts as the ‘eyes’ of the system; the RPS-42 radar and Skyview MP, which provide 360-degree air surveillance and long-range drone detection; the Modi II, which is a dismountable electronic-warfare system used to disrupt enemy drones and communications; and the AN/PRC-158 multichannel manpack radio system, which allows the LMADIS to communicate everything it detects to troops in its immediate vicinity and commanders in the rear echelon," the statement said.

The LMADIS claimed its first kill in late 2019, according to the Marine Corps Times. An LMADIS deployed on the amphibious assault ship Boxer at the time downed an Iranian drone.

The Corps expects to start issuing LMADIS's to LAAD battalions in the autumn of 2024.

LMADIS vs. MADIS

The LMADIS is an offshoot of its larger cousin, the MADIS.

The MADIS system comes in two variants, each mounted on a separate Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) working in a complementary pair, Marine Times reported in June.

The Mk1 includes turret-launched and shoulder-fired Stinger missiles for mounted and dismounted operations, multifunctional electronic warfare capability, a 30mm cannon and an infrared optic to neutralize airborne threats.

The Mk2 is specialized for drone-killing and includes multi-functional electronic warfare, 360-degree radar, and a command-and-control communications suite.

For its part, the LMADIS uses the light and compact frame of the Polaris MRZR combat vehicle to deploy to austere environments via air transport.

"Due to the current drone threat, we need an expeditionary system that will combat it. The LMADIS serves as a system that can be deployed at a moment's notice and attach to units that need counter-UAS capabilities," Staff Sgt. Dustin Yonkings, a LAAD gunner with 2nd LAAD, said in November.

"The difference is the expeditionary aspect of it being able to be loaded on aircraft used for a wide set of missions … [such as] CH-53E Super Stallions, CH-53K King Stallions, and MV-22B Ospreys," said Yonkings.

Both the LMADIS and the MADIS use the same radar, the RPS-42, which can detect drones flying up to 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) within a 30km radius. The radar works even if the target has an extremely small cross-section.

The 26th MEU is ready

An LMADIS system deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship Bataan with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is currently the only counter-unmanned aerial system on the East Coast organic to the Marine Corps, Marine Times reported, citing releases.

From January 23 to February 5, the 26th MEU performed an exercise in Virginia and North Carolina that included gaining familiarity with the LMADIS, according to a Marine Corps statement.

The exercise "provided the [26th] MEU with an opportunity to integrate [the LMADIS] in support of DATF [defense of an amphibious task force]," the Corps said.

The Bataan, along with Carter Hall and elements of the 26th MEU, in July was deployed to the US Central Command area of responsibility as part of the US response to Iran's continued seizure of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.