Advanced counter-sUAS technology contract to mitigate unmanned aircraft threats
The U.S. Army has awarded a contract to defense company L3Harris for deployment of its Vampire counter-drone system (SURge – Systems for Unmanned Robust Ground Engagement), addressing an escalating need to counter potential hostile drone threats to ground troops.
The $106 million maximum value agreement will integrate Vampire – a self-contained mobile defense platform capable of engaging aerial threats remotely through radar-guided munitions.
As drone proliferation continues to challenge battlefield security, Vampire’s 70-millimeter laser-guided combat capabilities offer rapid target acquisition and precision engagement, enabling armed forces to effectively intercept potentially weaponized autonomous aerial vehicles approaching within six thousand meters of troops.
Launch systems include the Tactical Aerospace Threat Interceptor (TATI) support integration offer – currently deployed on Modular Open Pods (MOP) mounted on Stryker armored vehicles. The Tactical MOP provides enhanced capabilities:
- Telescopically adjustable sensor arrays using persistent Thermal/EO-Image monitoring
- Signed focal point acquisition
- Multi-role ammunition depot capable of rapid effectors payload shifts including Laser-Designated Precision Munitions (LDPMs)
These capabilities utilize advanced radar target designation for coordinated support across Combined U.S. Forces engagements.
L3Harris’ polygonal system architecture enables tacticalplug-and-play radar threat detection enhancements for seamless integration with armed forces’ multi-domain battlefield infrastructure.
“We have undergone extensive combat system readiness reviews to tailor Vampire configurations meeting specific land combat operational requirements,” stated L3Harris program director, Terri Martin. “Solid-state enhanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) for AI-assisted airspace control.”
The modular open architecture facilitates rapid response capability upgrades through standards-based interface compatibility. System operational readiness is supported by automated multi-source fusion repository infrastructure.
Technical consultations with principal security experts confirmed Vampire lineage systems have achieved historical Marksmanship Profiling in high-threat scenarios, with 95-97% accurate engagement performance.”