3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Activates New Air Defense Unit

Photo By Sgt. Sean Potter | U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Ryan Cassidy (left), executive officer, and Cpl. Nicholas Fingers, team leader with Charlie Battery, 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Air Control Group 38 stand during the battery activation ceremony on Camp Pendleton, California, Nov. 18, 2022. The activation of Charlie Battery increases 3rd Marine Air Wing’s capabilities in ground-based air defense. Charlie Battery will be equipped with new and emerging technologies to combat unmanned aerial systems, and fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. Fingers is a native of St. Louis and Cassidy is a native of Pearl River, New York. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sean Potter)  

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

11.18.2022

Story by 2nd Lt. Andrew Baez 

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) activated a new air defense battery on November 18, 2022, as part of its ongoing efforts to modernize its existing ground-based air defense capabilities to continue responsibly modernizing the force.

Charlie Battery, which belongs to 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) Battalion, Marine Air Control Group 38, increases 3rd MAW's ground-based air defense weapon systems and capabilities. The activation demonstrates the Marine Corps’ investment in growing the ground-based air defense community.

The unit's activation sets the foundation for the arrival of Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Increment 1 to the battalion. This system modernizes the existing ground-based air defense capabilities by mounting a mix of legacy and emerging technologies and capabilities onto the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The new capabilities will help the unit mitigate the threat from unmanned aerial systems, fixed, and rotary-wing aircraft.

Once fully equipped, the new unit will have the MADIS, FIM-92 Stinger missiles, and a kinetic remote weapon system designed to counter adversary unmanned aerial systems. The remote weapon system, an organic RPS-62 RADAR, provides additional capabilities, including multi-function electronic warfare and significant command and control improvements.

“The Charlie Battery activation is another piece to the pie of modernizing the force to meet future threats,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Crispus M. Kimani, operations officer for 3rd LAAD Battalion. “It increases air defense capacity within the Marine Expeditionary Force.”

Activating Charlie Battery and integrating new technologies, including the MADIS, enables 3rd LAAD to detect, track, identify, and defeat aerial threats. Additionally, the new capabilities will enable expeditionary counter-unmanned aerial systems operations in austere and isolated environments.

Imagery from the activation ceremony will be available at: www.dvidshub.net/unit/3MAW.

For questions regarding this release, please contact the 3rd MAW Communication Strategy and Operations Office at [e-mail].

• Date Taken: 11.18.2022
• Date Posted: 11.22.2022 12:19
• Story ID: 433794
• Location: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US