L3Harris Technologies announced on September 8, 2026 that it has been selected to deliver a maritime-ruggedized configuration of its VAMPIRE counter-drone weapon system to the US Navy, aimed at defending littoral combat forces against small unmanned aircraft and uncrewed surface vessel (USV) threats.
What Is VAMPIRE
VAMPIRE — Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment — is a self-contained, palletized weapon system originally designed to mount on standard vehicle cargo beds, pairing sensors with laser-guided munitions such as Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rockets to engage small drones and other aerial threats. For the Navy configuration, L3Harris said it is adapting the system to withstand the environmental stresses of maritime and littoral operating conditions.
“VAMPIRE is a flexible and effective system that meets the unique requirements of the U.S. Navy for littoral C-UxS defense,” said Tony Calderon, President of Targeting & Sensor Systems at L3Harris.
Capabilities and Integration
The system is designed to integrate with L3Harris’s Wraith Shield software for layered counter-unmanned-systems (C-UxS) defense, combining detection, tracking and engagement functions across a broader defense architecture. L3Harris has not disclosed a contract value or specific delivery timeline for the Navy variant.
Why It Matters
The Navy’s interest in a ruggedized VAMPIRE follows a broader push across the US military to field mobile, vehicle- and vessel-mounted counter-drone systems rather than relying solely on fixed-site defenses, as cheap commercial and militarized small drones proliferate among state and non-state actors. It also follows related moves by L3Harris to mount counter-drone sensors on an uncrewed ground vehicle alongside ARX Robotics, part of a wider industry trend toward distributing counter-UAS sensors and effectors across multiple platform types rather than concentrating them at fixed perimeters.
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