美军中东基地遭导弹袭击后寻购高射炮增强防空能力

美军驻中东基地在伊朗导弹袭击中蒙受重大损失，暴露了现有防空系统的不足。1此次袭击中，一架美军A-10攻击机机翼折断，4架黑鹰直升机遭破损，8架F-15战机轻微受损。1美国空军随后发布武器采购征询书，计划引入高射炮系统以增强野战防空和反导能力。1

美军对现有防空方案的成本效益感到忧虑。1爱国者系统拦截弹的采购成本约为500万美元，而伊朗沙赫德-136无人机的制造成本仅为5万美元。1作为对比，美军现役的20毫米六管火神防空炮两秒内的点射可消耗约150发弹药，整套系统成本仅1.2万美元。1

根据美国空军的采购需求，新型防空炮口径应在20至50毫米范围内，具备空运快速部署至海外的能力。1符合这一标准的候选产品包括三款：德国莱茵金属天行者35毫米炮、英国BAE特里东40毫米炮和美国诺斯罗普·格鲁曼突袭猎手50毫米炮。1其中天行者在俄乌前线的实战表现显示，一门炮能防卫4平方公里区域，摧毁一架无人机的弹药成本约为4000美元。1

U.S. military installations in the Middle East sustained significant damage in an Iranian missile strike, prompting the U.S. Air Force to issue a weapons acquisition inquiry seeking rapid-deployment air defense cannon systems 1. The attack exposed critical vulnerabilities in the current air defense posture, resulting in one A-10 attack aircraft with a severed wing, four damaged Black Hawk helicopters, and eight F-15 fighter jets sustaining minor damage 1.

The disparity in engagement costs has driven the procurement effort. Patriot system interceptor missiles cost approximately $5 million each, while Iranian Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles cost only $50,000 1. By contrast, the U.S. Air Force's 20-millimeter Vulcan air defense gun can expend approximately 150 rounds in a two-second burst at a cost of just $12,000 1. The Air Force now seeks air defense cannons with calibers between 20 and 50 millimeters that can be rapidly airlifted and deployed overseas 1. Three systems meet these specifications: Germany's Rheinmetall Skyranger 35-millimeter cannon, Britain's BAE Tridon 40-millimeter cannon, and Northrop Grumman's Striker Hunter 50-millimeter cannon 1. Experience from the Russia-Ukraine conflict indicates that a single Skyranger can defend a four-square-kilometer area with ammunition costs of approximately $4,000 per destroyed drone 1.