New military aid package from the United Kingdom worth GBP 100 million (~$123 mln) Coming from the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) includes additional military equipment and air defense systems, in particular. The UK Ministry of Defense mentions minefield clearing, parts for vehicle maintenance, and "shore up defensive fortifications to protect critical national infrastructure."
The only item with its name specified is the MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin from British-based MSI-Defense Systems. An unspecified number of these systems and other means of air defense was ordered through a £70 mln (~$86 mln) contract.
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The First public appearance of the Terrahawk Paladin dates September 2022, then an upgraded version was revealed in September 2023. It integrates an anti-drone technology that has already become a classic: an automatic gun combined with a digital fire control system and an all-weather radar. Terrahawk Paladin is implemented as either a stationary system or a mobile one, carried on a truck.
A similar technology is employed, for instance, by German Rheinmetall Skynex, Australian EOS Slinger, and British L/70 anti-aircraft gun systems as well.
Air targets are shot by the 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II autocannon, it can deploy ammunition with proximity fuze. The range of interception is approximately up to 2 km with programmable air-burst ammunition.
The accuracy of fire is secured by SATOS sighting system of MSI's own making. It is equipped with a thermal sensor and a laser rangefinder. The fire control system supports automatic target following.
The radar component is represented by four stations with AESA antennas, providing for simultaneous all-round surveillance.
Terrahawk Paladin is operated via two remote controllers. The company's photos suggest that it can be operated by a crew of two: one is watching over the targets, the other destroys them.
Side note, Ukrainian soldiers operating a similar Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft system pointed out that the gunner's job is literally only to pull the trigger, while the aiming and ballistic calculations are all done by a computer. It is hard to say if that is the same with Terrahawk Paladin but there is a possibility.
Back to the confirmed features, MSI's system also has an option of connecting to other air defense weapons, for example, APKWS semi-active laser-guided rockets.
All these capabilities and utilities make the MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin an effective and – no less importantly – cost-efficient solution against such threats as iranian-made Shahed loitering munitions. The russians launch these cheap explosive UAVs at Ukrainian critical infrastructure and residential areas on a regular basis.
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