US Army picks out Vampire to fill a gap in its layered drone defenses
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US Army picks out Vampire to fill a gap in its layered drone defenses
L3Harris supplies system that can down incoming drones with laser-guided rockets
Dan Robinson
Dan<br>Robinson
Published<br>sun 14 Jun 2026 // 15:00 UTC
The US Army has awarded a contract to defense biz L3Harris for its Vampire counter-drone system to support an urgent requirement to protect against hostile airborne threats.<br>As drones continue to be a danger to ground forces, the Army’s order, worth up to $106 million, will form part of its layered defense approach against remotely operated and autonomous aerial vehicles.<br>The Vampire system is described by the firm as a completely self-contained platform that delivers a precision strike capability against drones and remotely piloted aircraft.
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It can be fitted to vehicles, such as mounting on the back of a truck, and combines a telescopic mast with an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) stabilized targeting system. It also has a launcher for a variety of what the military likes to call effectors – projectiles or missiles that typically go bang.
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In the case of Vampire, this will often be the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), comprising US-made Hydra 70 2.75-inch (70 mm) rockets with an added laser homing capability.<br>This seems to have become the (relatively) low-cost weapon of choice for downing certain types of drones, and is now being fitted to British Typhoon fighter jets deployed to the middle east, for example.
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However, L3Harris says that Vampire has a modular plug-in design that allows for the rapid addition of other sensors, effectors, and radio management systems.<br>The system can engage aerial targets up to six kilometers (3.8 miles) away. Its laser designator can highlight targets, while also coordinating with other platforms, allowing for a distributed approach to target engagement.<br>“We’ve worked with the Army to understand their needs for new counter-UxS systems that can be quickly assembled, delivered, set-up and fired,” said L3Harris president, for Targeting & Sensor Systems, Tom Kirkland.<br>“Vampire is effective at hunting and engaging drone threats affordably, which enables US armed forces to sustain reliable defense of its personnel and infrastructure.”<br>We asked L3Harris how many systems the US Army will be getting for its $106 million.<br>The company says it developed Vampire at the beginning of the war in Ukraine to provide a low-cost solution to help eliminate Russian drone threats. It has since ramped up production at a new production line in Huntsville, Alabama, in a response to the growing need it sees from the US and allies to counter the drone threat.
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L3Harris says the system has so far logged more than 350,000 operational hours in support of European combat operations since 2023. ®
drones<br>defense<br>l3harris<br>us army<br>offbeat<br>counter-uas
REG AD
OFFBEAT
US Army picks out Vampire to fill a gap in its layered drone defenses
L3Harris supplies system that can down incoming drones with laser-guided rockets
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