Counter-UAS on six wheels: Miriad turns the Rhinos UGV into the autonomous RHL6 rocket launcher

Twelve interceptor missiles, autonomous redeployment, no crew on board: for counter-UAS, Spanish company Miriad Global is expanding its heavy unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) Rhinos into a mobile launch platform. At the same time, it is working on Strikex, its own interceptor missile designed to engage fast, jet-powered drones.

Because fast, jet-powered drones are becoming increasingly widespread, air defence faces new challenges. Waves of attacks can saturate existing systems while tying up many comparatively expensive interceptor missiles. In response, Miriad Global has developed a new variant of its heavy unmanned 6×6 vehicle Rhinos. The RHL6 was presented at the Spanish drone fair UNVEX 2026; it is intended for use as an autonomous, networked rocket launcher for counter-drone defence.

Counter-UAS with twelve launch tubes

Twelve launch tubes, arranged in two rows of six missiles each, form the basic configuration of RHL6. The traversable launch module can accommodate rockets up to a diameter of 240 millimetres and a maximum length of 3.5 metres. Firing takes place at an angle of between around 20 and 60 degrees.

Miriad has deliberately chosen an open architecture. The launch system is to be compatible with various launch containers and with light interceptor missiles from different manufacturers. For this reason, the company says it also wants to offer the platform to missile manufacturers for possible integration, including those in the German-speaking region.

The decisive factor, however, is less the rocket launcher than the unmanned platform that carries it. Rhinos is able to receive target data from external sensors, drive independently to an assigned firing position, align the launch module and prepare the launch. Once a fire mission has been completed, the vehicle can also change position autonomously or occupy particularly exposed positions without putting a crew at risk. According to Miriad, however, the decision to release fire still rests with the human chain of command.

The industrial proliferation of jet-powered drones changes the scale of the problem. Thousands of missiles per month require the use of even more interceptor missiles, more firing positions and systems that must be capable of responding to saturation attacks within seconds— Antonio Navarro, Chief Executive Officer of Miriad Global

Carrier vehicle weighing 10.5 tonnes

Miriad had shown Rhinos for the first time only in June at Eurosatory in Paris. The heavy unmanned 6×6 vehicle is 5.5 metres long, 2.5 metres wide and 1.7 metres high. It weighs around 10.5 tonnes and carries a payload of up to 3.5 tonnes.

The demonstrator currently under construction is now being modified so that the version planned for early 2027 is also suitable for the RHL6 configuration. In the longer term, a common vehicle architecture is to allow different mission modules, so that Rhinos can be used for a variety of tasks.

Strikex interceptor missile to hunt jet drones

Alongside the launch platform, Miriad is pressing ahead with the development of its own interceptor missile, Strikex. It is based on Strike2, a light jet interceptor drone that was likewise only unveiled in June. Strikex is specifically intended for use against next-generation jet-powered drones and cruise missiles.

Plans so far call for a weight of around 50 kilograms, a warhead of about five kilograms and a range of up to 100 kilometres. Among the targets, Miriad lists drones flying faster than 600 km/h and cruise missiles up to supersonic variants. In the intercept phase, the missile itself is to reach supersonic speed.

It is cold-launched from a canister: the motor only ignites once Strikex has left the launch tube and is at a safe distance from the vehicle. For engagement, the missile is to process data from external radar systems and draw on the Targos electro-optical/infrared seeker. Supported by AI, the seeker is to detect, classify and track targets in the terminal phase. In addition, algorithms coordinating several missiles are to allow simultaneous engagement of larger groups of targets and saturation attacks.

RHL6 and Strikex are thus based on the same idea: more distributed firing positions, more available interceptor missiles, shorter reaction times. It remains open, however, whether and when this will result in a combat-ready overall system. Work on the Rhinos demonstrator is already under way, while Strikex is still in development.