Side-by-side
FAAD C2 (Forward Area Air Defense Command & Control) vs M-ACE (Mobile Acquisition, Cueing & Effector)
Spec comparison for two products on Aviation Souk. Both compete in Counter-UAS & Base Air Defence.
Counter-UAS & Base Air Defence
FAAD C2 (Forward Area Air Defense Command & Control)
by Northrop Grumman
The U.S. Army's programme-of-record SHORAD command-and-control software — fusing sensors, effectors, and real-time fire control onto a single screen for short-range air defence, C-RAM, and C-UAS on one architecture.
Counter-UAS & Base Air Defence
M-ACE (Mobile Acquisition, Cueing & Effector)
by Northrop Grumman
Vehicle-mounted, shoot-on-the-move C-UAS system integrating 3D radar, EO/IR cueing, and a 30 mm chain gun to defeat Class 1 and 2 drones without stopping.
| Cost of ownership | FAAD C2 (Forward Area Air Defense Command & Control) | M-ACE (Mobile Acquisition, Cueing & Effector) |
|---|---|---|
| Price tier | — | — |
| Lead time (weeks) | ?–? | ?–? |
| Delivery | — | — |
| Install | — | — |
| GCC airports deployed | 0 | 0 |
| Certifications | 0 | 0 |
Specs
Technical specifications.
| Spec | FAAD C2 (Forward Area Air Defense Command & Control) | M-ACE (Mobile Acquisition, Cueing & Effector) |
|---|---|---|
| Programme of record | U.S. Army SHORAD C2 since 1986 | — |
| DoD C-UAS C2 designation | U.S. Secretary of Defense-designated C-UAS C2 system of record | — |
| Missions on one platform | SHORAD + C-RAM + C-UAS simultaneously | — |
| Operator interface | Single integrated air picture (SIAP); tablet-deployable | — |
| Architecture | Open, vendor-agnostic, non-proprietary | — |
| Sensor integrations (examples) | AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel, AN/TPQ-53, M-ACE | — |
| Effector integrations (examples) | Avenger, Patriot, Stinger, Fortem interceptors | — |
| Interoperability standards | JADC2 messaging; NATO air-defence architecture compatible | — |
| C-UAS operational experience | >8 years deployed | — |
| Effector calibre | — | 30 mm M230LF chain gun |
| Fire rate | — | 625 ±25 rounds per minute |
| Ammunition type | — | M1211 HEPSD (High-Explosive Proximity Self-Destruct) |
| Radar detection range (drone class) | — | ~10 km |
| Target classes defeated | — | Class 1 and Class 2 UAS |
| Sensor suite | — | 3D radar + RF sensors + EO/IR cameras + GPS |
| Platform | — | Standard 8 truck bed or equivalent military/commercial vehicle |
| C2 software | — | M-ACE C2 — open-architecture, AI/ML-augmented, supports hundreds of sensor/effector protocols |
| Coverage | — | 360° azimuth (mast-mounted) |
Decide
Ask Aviation Souk to pick for your tender.
The AI weighs both products against your specific brief — airport, certifications, lead time, budget — and tells you which fits.
Ask the AI →