Jun 3, 2026 - Technology

Exclusive: Lockheed blasts Shahed-style drone in Arizona missile test

Colin Demarest

A missile launches vertically from a desert launch site, with a pink-orange flame trailing into a clear blue sky. — A Joint-Air-to-Ground Missile launch at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. Photo: Courtesy of Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin for the first time intercepted a Shahed-style attack drone using a Joint-Air-to-Ground Missile fired from a Grizzly containerized launcher, company officials told Axios.

Its AI-fueled Sanctum counter-drone system was used as the battle manager. Fortem Technologies R40 radars were used to detect and track the target.

Why it matters: The U.S. military is scrambling for cheap, effective overhead defenses, and lately has shown a liking for weapons that can be packed into boxes and wheeled out where and when they're most needed.

Lockheed assembled all these pieces and hit fire at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, in less than 45 days.

What they're saying: "When we show these things, we have the ability to produce them, develop them, get them out there at scale," Dan Tenney, senior vice president of global business development and strategy, told Axios.

"We certainly think we're moving at speed, and we're changing our own practices."
Lockheed is the world's largest defense contractor by revenue.

Zoom in: Grizzly, developed in six months, is suited for both land and sea, according to the company. Each JAGM costs a few hundred thousand dollars.

"Containerization is really important," Tenney said. Firstly, "it's mobile." Secondly, "it can hide in plain sight."

"The missiles themselves aren't exposed."

Follow the money: Lockheed invested $25 million in Fortem this year and also tapped the company to help protect critical infrastructure.

Its kit has been used in Ukraine for years. U.S. allies in Europe and the Middle East recently ordered a dozen of its counter-drone systems.

The bottom line: "In this case, because you can fire one proven missile, you bring down the cost-per-kill drastically," Tenney said, "and you save your Patriots for larger, more-robust threats."

Go deeper: U.S. Army-led task force seeks counter-drone coordination

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Exclusive: Lockheed blasts Shahed-style drone in Arizona missile test

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