Spanish company Miriad Global is developing a new configuration of its Rhinos 6×6 unmanned ground vehicle to turn it into a mobile launcher for counter-drone interceptors. The project, known as RHL6, initially envisages 12 launch tubes and aims to deploy defensive nodes across the battlefield capable of responding to attacks involving multiple unmanned aircraft.
The development remains at the design stage. Miriad is working on modifications to the Rhinos dimensional prototype so that the combat version planned for early 2027 can incorporate this configuration, according to information provided by the company.
The proposal responds to the growing military use of drones, including jet-powered models capable of reaching speeds beyond those of conventional small unmanned systems. In response to this trend, Miriad aims to increase both the number of interceptors available and the number of locations from which they can be launched.
Twelve tubes on an unmanned platform
The RHL6 is initially designed with 12 tubes arranged in two rows of six on a swiveling module. The architecture would allow the use of lightweight interceptors measuring up to 240 millimeters in diameter and 3.5 meters in length, with an approximate launch elevation range of 20 to 60 degrees.
One notable aspect of the project is that Miriad does not intend to tie the platform to a single missile. The company is proposing an open architecture that would make it possible to assess the integration of interceptors developed by different manufacturers.
The system is based on Rhinos, a heavy 6×6 unmanned ground vehicle unveiled by Miriad in June. The platform is 5.5 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and 1.7 meters high, has an approximate mass of 10.5 metric tons, and can carry up to 3.5 metric tons of payload.
Its unmanned nature enables an operational model different from that of a conventional launcher. Under the concept developed by the company, the vehicle could remain connected to a tactical network, receive information from external sensors, and autonomously move to a designated position.
Navigation, positioning, launcher orientation, and certain pre-launch operations could be automated. Authorization to fire, however, would remain within the human chain of command.
This approach would allow vehicles to be positioned in forward or exposed locations without personnel onboard and relocated after a launch. Its effective operation, however, will depend on further development and testing of the system.
Strikex, an interceptor still under development
Miriad is also developing Strikex, an interceptor designed to counter jet-powered drones and other high-speed aerial threats. The project is derived from Strike2, another lightweight interceptor previously introduced by the company.
Specifications released by Miriad place Strikex’s target range at around 100 kilometers, with an approximate mass of 50 kilograms and a warhead weighing close to five kilograms. The company says it could counter jet-powered drones traveling at more than 600 kilometers per hour and is also considering its use against cruise missiles.
These characteristics remain development targets announced by the company rather than verified capabilities of an operational system.
The interceptor would use a cold launch from a container. Under the proposed design, it would first exit the tube, with its turbine starting once it had reached a safe distance from the ground platform. Miriad expects it to achieve supersonic speeds during the interception phase.
To locate the target in the final phase, Strikex would incorporate a variant of Targos, the electro-optical and infrared seeker developed by the company. The system is designed to use artificial intelligence-based processing for detection, classification, and tracking tasks.
More launch points against simultaneous attacks
The combined RHL6 and Strikex concept is based on deploying several platforms with multiple interceptors across the battlefield, rather than concentrating all defensive capability at a single location.
Miriad links this architecture to the proliferation of saturation attacks, in which numerous unmanned aircraft are deployed simultaneously to complicate the response of defensive systems.
The project also fits within a broader trend seen at UNVEX 2026, held on Sept. 16 and 17 in San Javier, Murcia: the development of a range of solutions to detect, track, and neutralize drones, from electronic warfare systems to interceptors and land- or air-based platforms.
For the RHL6, the next step will be to transfer the concept to the combat version of Rhinos and validate the proposed capabilities through testing. Until then, both the integration of the 12 interceptors and much of Strikex’s announced performance should be viewed as targets of a program still under development.
