Air Defense

Tempest SAM

Also known as
  • V2X Tempest
  • Tempest air defense system
  • Tempest Mobile Fires Platform
  • Tempest SHORAD
  • Hellfire-armed Tempest

Tempest SAM is a V2X mobile counter-UAS air-defense platform that mounts dual weapon launchers on a lightweight commercial off-road vehicle. V2X presents it as a rapid, low-exposure Mobile Fires Platform for Class 2-3 unmanned aircraft, while Ukraine reporting in January 2026 showed the Hellfire-armed vehicle in Ukrainian Air Force service against Russian Shahed/Geran-series attack drones.

Tempest SAM, mobile counter-UAS short-range air-defense system, Air Defense
Image source: Army Recognition Tempest AUSA Image

Role in Conflicts

2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Air Defense

Ukrainian Air Command-linked footage and January 2026 reporting showed Tempest vehicles in Ukrainian service firing Hellfire-class missiles against Russian Shahed/Geran attack drones, with one crew claiming 21 Shahed kills.

Role details
System Layout

Tempest is documented as a compact shoot-and-scoot air-defense system rather than a traditional heavy SAM battery. The strongest public sources support the vehicle, dual-launcher, counter-UAS mission, and Ukrainian combat-use context; detailed production quantities and formal transfer channels remain public-source gaps.

Launcher concept

A commercial off-road vehicle carries two weapon launchers and a compact counter-UAS sensor fit for rapid engagements.

Primary target set

V2X states the system is built to detect, engage, and defeat Class 2-3 unmanned aircraft in adverse weather.

Public evidence limit

Ukraine footage and reporting support operational use, but public sources do not establish the number delivered or the government transfer route.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Built by
V2X
Type
mobile counter-UAS short-range air-defense system
Service note
Publicly debuted by V2X at AUSA 2025 and reported in Ukrainian service in January 2026.
Designer
V2X
Designed
Publicly unveiled in October 2025 at AUSA 2025.
Produced
Prototype or early fielded status publicly reported in 2025-2026; production quantity not publicly identified.
Number built
Not publicly identified; reporting indicates small numbers or evaluation use in Ukraine.

Specifications

Role
Mobile counter-UAS and short-range air-defense platform.
Launcher
Dual weapon launchers mounted on a rugged commercially based combat vehicle.
Missile
Open reporting identifies AGM-114 Hellfire-class missiles and assesses AGM-114L Longbow as the likely variant.
Target set
V2X states Class 2-3 UAS; reporting also describes potential use against helicopters and other low-flying targets within Hellfire range limits.
Mobility
Commercial off-road 4x4 or buggy-style chassis intended for rapid low-exposure firing and repositioning.
Sensor fit
Reporting describes a compact radar and possible external cueing rather than a full 360-degree organic surveillance suite.
Variants
Mobile vehicle configuration and a stationary trailer-mounted option for fixed-site defense.
Operational status
Reported in Ukrainian Air Force service in January 2026; transfer route and fleet size were not publicly confirmed.
Variants
VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Mobile Tempest4x4 commercial off-road vehicle configuration

V2X describes Tempest as a rugged commercially based vehicle with dual launchers for rapid, low-exposure counter-UAS missions.

Sources: V2X Tempest AUSA 2025

Trailer-mounted TempestFixed-site defense configuration

V2X says stationary trailer-mounted variants are available for fixed-site defense; public reporting did not confirm that this variant was delivered to Ukraine.

Sources: V2X Tempest AUSA 2025, TWZ Tempest Ukraine

Launched Missiles

Open reporting identifies Tempest as a Hellfire-armed counter-drone vehicle, with the Longbow radar-guided AGM-114L variant assessed as the likely missile.

Launched itemItem typeLaunch evidence
AGM-114 Hellfire missile family, Air-to-surface missile family, MunitionsAGM-114 Hellfire missile familyguided interceptor missile family

TWZ identified the Ukrainian Tempest vehicle as firing AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and assessed the radar-guided AGM-114L Longbow as the relevant variant; Business Insider noted that the Ukrainian video itself did not name the missile type.

Sources: TWZ Tempest Ukraine, Business Insider Tempest Ukraine

Timeline

Tempest SAM Key Events

  1. V2X announces Tempest at AUSA

    V2X announced that it would debut Tempest at AUSA 2025 as a COTS-based Mobile Fires Platform with dual launchers and counter-UAS capability.

    Sources: V2X Tempest AUSA 2025

  2. Tempest identified in Ukrainian service

    TWZ reported that Ukrainian Air Force-linked footage and still imagery showed a V2X Tempest vehicle armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles in Ukrainian counter-drone service.

    Sources: TWZ Tempest Ukraine

  3. Ukrainian crew claim reported

    Business Insider reported that a Ukrainian Air Command Central video featured an operator saying his Tempest crew had destroyed 21 Shahed drones.

    Sources: Business Insider Tempest Ukraine

Related Weapon Systems
AGM-114 Hellfire missile family, Air-to-surface missile family, MunitionsMunitionsAGM-114 Hellfire missile familyAir-to-surface missile familyThe AGM-114 Hellfire is a U.S. precision missile family developed for helicopter anti-armor missions and later adapted across UAVs, gunships, ships, and special-purpose strike roles. Cataloged combat use spans Desert Storm Apache strikes, Operation Iraqi Freedom aviation engagements, counter-ISIS and counterterrorism drone operations, Israeli helicopter fire in 2023, Ukrainian counter-drone Tempest vehicles assessed with AGM-114L Longbow missiles, and the secretive AGM-114R9X kinetic variant reported in low-collateral targeted strikes.
Merops counter-drone interceptor, Counter-drone interceptor system, Air DefenseAir DefenseMerops counter-drone interceptorCounter-drone interceptor systemMerops is a U.S.-developed mobile counter-drone system from Perennial Autonomy that launches Surveyor interceptor drones from a truck-portable package. Public reporting ties the system to Ukrainian counter-Shahed use, NATO eastern-flank fielding in Poland and Romania, and U.S. deployment during the 2026 Iran War. Its profile centers on AI-assisted guidance in jammed environments, pickup-truck mobility, and a roughly $15,000 interceptor cost.
V2U, Autonomous loitering munition, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsV2UAutonomous loitering munitionV2U is a Russian electric loitering munition documented by Ukraine's Defence Intelligence during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. Public intelligence material describes a small catapult-launched UAV with a 1.2 m wingspan, LTE control option, computer-vision-assisted navigation, and onboard AI hardware that may allow automatic target detection and engagement when communications or satellite navigation are degraded; the full system manufacturer remains publicly unidentified.
Terrahawk Paladin, Very short-range counter-UAS air defense system, Air DefenseAir DefenseTerrahawk PaladinVery short-range counter-UAS air defense systemTerrahawk Paladin is MSI-Defence Systems' British Terrahawk VSHORAD configuration for close-range air defense and counter-UAS point protection. The modular system combines a remote gun mount, SATOS electro-optical sensing, radar-supported cueing, and vehicle, trailer, or NATO-standard flatrack deployment with offset remote operation. The UK announced Terrahawk Paladin for Ukraine through the International Fund for Ukraine in October 2023, and Ukrainian reporting later showed British-supplied systems in service with the 156th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment.

Sources

V2X Tempest AUSA 2025Publisher: V2X, Inc. | Note: Supports Tempest manufacturer background, AUSA 2025 public debut, rugged COTS vehicle description, dual launchers, Class 2-3 counter-UAS role, adverse-weather claim, shoot-and-scoot concept, and trailer-mounted variant. | Accessed: 2026-07-08TWZ Tempest UkrainePublisher: The War Zone | Note: 2014 Russia-Ukraine War: supports Ukrainian use of a V2X Tempest counter-UAS vehicle, Hellfire missile identification, likely Ukrainian Air Force operator context, and the lack of a publicly announced transfer. | Accessed: 2026-07-08Business Insider Tempest UkrainePublisher: Business Insider | Note: 2014 Russia-Ukraine War: supports Ukrainian Air Command-linked reporting that Tempest crews used a guided-missile vehicle against Shahed drones and that one crew claimed 21 Shahed kills; notes the Ukrainian video did not name the missile type. | Accessed: 2026-07-08Forces News Tempest ShahedsPublisher: Forces News | Note: 2014 Russia-Ukraine War: supports independent reporting that footage released by Ukraine showed the V2X-developed Tempest buggy firing Hellfire missiles and that an operator claimed more than 20 Shahed kills. | Accessed: 2026-07-08Defense Express Tempest AnalysisPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports open-source technical context for the mobile and trailer configurations, compact radar, external-cueing caveat, AGM-114L assessment, and approximate short-range engagement framing. | Accessed: 2026-07-08Army Recognition Tempest AUSA ImagePublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports AUSA 2025 vehicle-image provenance and independent summary of the COTS-based counter-UAS vehicle with dual launchers. | Accessed: 2026-07-08