Air Defense

VAMPIRE

Also known as
  • Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment
  • Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment

VAMPIRE, short for Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment, is L3Harris's self-contained counter-UAS weapons kit. The system is vehicle and platform agnostic, combines a WESCAM MX-10D RSTA sensor with APKWS or other laser-guided munitions, and has been used in Ukraine to defend against hostile unmanned systems and selected ground threats. L3Harris later expanded VAMPIRE into land, maritime, airborne, base-defense, and electronic-warfare variants, with U.S. Army orders adding a proximity-fuze APKWS configuration.

VAMPIRE, Modular counter-UAS rocket system, Air Defense
Image source: VAMPIRE

Role in Conflicts

Family Variants

L3Harris describes VAMPIRE as a baseline palletized system that has grown into a broader family for land vehicles, vessels, aircraft, remote sites, fixed-base defense, and electronic warfare.

VariantRoleSource-backed note
Baseline VAMPIREPalletized vehicle kitFour-shot launcher with WESCAM MX-10D RSTA sensor and APKWS-class laser-guided rockets.
Stalker XRLand vehicle systemUses a larger weapons cache and extended-range munitions.
Black WakeMaritime systemCan be used aboard crewed or uncrewed vessels against drones or fast attack watercraft.
Dead WingAirborne systemDeploys from aircraft while in flight.
CASKETContainerized rapid-deploy systemSelf-contained VAMPIRE-in-a-box configuration for remote locations.
BATBase-defense turretProtects military bases and critical infrastructure with automatic weapons and non-kinetic effects.
KillcodeElectronic-warfare variantUses jammers to disrupt or disable threats instead of precision-guided munitions.
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Modular counter-UAS rocket system
Service note
Selected for Ukraine security assistance in 2022; fielded in combat from 2023, with a broader family refresh in 2025 and expanded U.S. Army orders in 2026
Designer
L3Harris Technologies
Designed
Field testing began in 2021; selected for Ukraine security assistance in 2022
Unit cost
About $2.9 million per system, derived from a $40 million contract for 14 systems
Produced
2023-present
Number built
At least 14 systems contracted for Ukraine, with additional U.S. Army systems ordered in 2026

Specifications

Launcher
Four-shot launcher on a palletized vehicle kit
Primary munition
70 mm APKWS laser-guided rockets
Sensor
WESCAM MX-10D RSTA EO/IR stabilized targeting sensor
Mission software
Widow mission-management software, with FAADC2 interoperability identified in the 2026 U.S. Army order
Platform
Vehicle- and platform-agnostic; mounts on cargo-bed vehicles or vessels
Fuze option
L3Harris proximity fuze for APKWS rockets in the U.S. Army configuration
Role
Counter-UAS, ISR, and precision effects against selected ground and maritime threats
Reload
Rapid installation and reloadable within minutes
Production approach
Modular kit built in high-volume counter-UAS production at L3Harris's Huntsville, Alabama site
Variants

L3Harris uses VAMPIRE for a modular family rather than a single fixed vehicle installation; the named variants split the same counter-UAS and precision-effects concept across land, maritime, airborne, base-defense, containerized, and electronic-warfare roles.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Baseline VAMPIRE truck-mounted systemPalletized land vehicle kit

The original configuration uses a four-shot launcher and WESCAM MX-10D RSTA sensor on a vehicle-agnostic palletized installation.

Sources: VAMPIRE, L3Harris Receives VAMPIRE Contract for Ukrainian Security Defense Efforts

VAMPIRE Stalker XRLand vehicle system

L3Harris describes Stalker XR as a land variant with a larger weapons cache and extended-range munitions.

Sources: VAMPIRE

VAMPIRE Black WakeMaritime system

The maritime Black Wake variant is described for crewed or uncrewed vessels against drones and fast attack craft.

Sources: VAMPIRE, L3Harris Announces New Variants for its VAMPIRE System

VAMPIRE Dead WingAirborne system

Dead Wing is the airborne member of the family and is described as a VAMPIRE variant that deploys from aircraft in flight.

Sources: VAMPIRE, L3Harris Announces New Variants for its VAMPIRE System

VAMPIRE CASKETContainerized rapid-deploy system

CASKET packages VAMPIRE into a self-contained containerized system for remote or rapidly established sites.

Sources: VAMPIRE, L3Harris Announces New Variants for its VAMPIRE System

VAMPIRE BATBase-defense turret

BAT is the fixed-site base-defense member of the family, combining kinetic and non-kinetic effects for base and infrastructure protection.

Sources: VAMPIRE, L3Harris Announces New Variants for its VAMPIRE System

VAMPIRE KillcodeElectronic-warfare variant

Killcode is the non-kinetic electronic-warfare variant, using jamming effects rather than guided rockets.

Sources: VAMPIRE, L3Harris Announces New Variants for its VAMPIRE System

Launched Munitions

L3Harris says VAMPIRE can be equipped with APKWS or other laser-guided munitions.

Launched itemItem typeLaunch evidence
APKWS / WGU-59 guided rockets, Guided rocket munition family, MunitionsAPKWS / WGU-59 guided rocketsLaser-guided 2.75-inch rocket family

The capability page says VAMPIRE can be equipped with APKWS or other laser-guided munitions, and the Ukraine contract release says APKWS was selected specifically for the DoD order.

Sources: VAMPIRE, L3Harris Receives VAMPIRE Contract for Ukrainian Security Defense Efforts

Timeline

VAMPIRE Key Events

  1. Field testing begins

    L3Harris says VAMPIRE field testing began in 2021 before the Ukraine security-assistance contract was awarded.

    Sources: L3Harris Receives VAMPIRE Contract for Ukrainian Security Defense Efforts

  2. Selected for Ukraine assistance

    The company says VAMPIRE was selected in August as part of DoD's $3 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package.

    Sources: L3Harris Receives VAMPIRE Contract for Ukrainian Security Defense Efforts, Nearly $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine

  3. DoD contract announced

    L3Harris announced a $40 million DoD contract to deliver 14 VAMPIRE systems for Ukrainian security defense efforts.

    Sources: L3Harris Receives VAMPIRE Contract for Ukrainian Security Defense Efforts

  4. Rapid delivery completed

    NAVAIR reported that rapid delivery of the new counter-UAS system to Ukraine was being completed for Ukrainian ground forces.

    Sources: Navy to complete rapid delivery of new counter-UAS system to Ukraine

  5. Family expands

    L3Harris' capability page says VAMPIRE has been in combat operations since 2023 and now includes land, maritime, airborne, base-defense, and electronic-warfare variants.

    Sources: VAMPIRE

  6. Six new variants announced

    L3Harris announced six additional VAMPIRE variants spanning land, sea, air, base-defense, containerized, and electronic-warfare roles.

    Sources: L3Harris Announces New Variants for its VAMPIRE System

  7. High-volume production ramp

    L3Harris said it was increasing production of VAMPIRE at its Huntsville facility after additional customer orders.

    Sources: L3Harris Ramps Up Production of Counter-Unmanned Systems

  8. U.S. Army order adds proximity-fuze configuration

    L3Harris announced a U.S. Army order for VAMPIRE systems equipped with APKWS rockets, its proximity fuze, the WESCAM MX-10D sensor, and Widow mission software.

    Sources: L3Harris Delivering Counter-Drone Systems to U.S. Army

Media

VAMPIRE Images

VAMPIRE, Modular counter-UAS rocket system, Air Defense - view 1
Source: VAMPIRE
VAMPIRE, Modular counter-UAS rocket system, Air Defense - view 2
Source: VAMPIRE
Related Weapon Systems
APKWS / WGU-59 guided rockets, Guided rocket munition family, MunitionsMunitionsAPKWS / WGU-59 guided rocketsGuided rocket munition familyAPKWS / WGU-59 guided rockets are BAE Systems laser-guidance-kit munitions that convert Hydra 70 / 2.75-inch aerial rockets into precision-guided weapons. The family includes WGU-59/B guidance sections, single-variant all-up rounds, and later AGR-20/FALCO counter-UAS adaptations documented by U.S. Navy, Air Force, manufacturer, and Ukraine-security-assistance sources on helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and mounted launch systems.
RM-70 Vampire, 122 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket system, ArtilleryArtilleryRM-70 Vampire122 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket systemThe RM-70 Vampire is a Czech modernization of the Czechoslovak RM-70 Grad-family multiple launch rocket system, pairing a forty-tube 122 mm launcher with a Tatra 815-7 8x8 chassis, protected cab, digital fire-control equipment, and a carried reload pack. Czech government reporting and frontline media document the system in Ukrainian service during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, where it provides mobile area-fire and counter-battery rocket artillery.
EO/IR Pod, Electro-optical/infrared airborne sensor pod, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentEO/IR PodElectro-optical/infrared airborne sensor podEO/IR Pod is a support-equipment entry for airborne electro-optical and infrared sensor pods used to find, track, and designate targets from aircraft and UAVs. The page centers on source-backed examples: Canadian WESCAM sensors assessed on Turkish UAVs in Nagorno-Karabakh, Libya, and Syria; Aero's L-39 Skyfox mission fit showing an EO/IR pod; and the U.S. Coast Guard HC-130J's nose-mounted EO/IR pod. Because carrier publications often name the function rather than a specific model, the relationship notes separate identified WESCAM MX-series evidence from generic EO/IR-pod references.
Fixed Site LIDS (FS-LIDS), Fixed-site counter-UAS system, Air DefenseAir DefenseFixed Site LIDS (FS-LIDS)Fixed-site counter-UAS systemFixed Site LIDS (FS-LIDS) is the U.S. Army's fixed-site Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System, built to protect bases and other static sites from small drones. Official SRC, RTX, Army, and U.S. arms-sale reporting describe it as a layered counter-UAS architecture that combines radar and EO/IR sensors, FAAD C2 command-and-control, electronic-warfare defeat, fixed Coyote launchers, and Coyote Block 2 interceptors.

Sources

VAMPIREPublisher: L3Harris Technologies | Note: Supports manufacturer background, system role, platform agnosticism, rapid installation and reloadability, WESCAM MX-10D RSTA sensor integration, APKWS-compatible armament, the family-variant list, and official image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-06-27Navy to complete rapid delivery of new counter-UAS system to UkrainePublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War: delivered to Ukraine's ground forces for wartime counter-UAS missions and provides the official photo used for the combat-delivery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-27L3Harris Receives VAMPIRE Contract for Ukrainian Security Defense EffortsPublisher: L3Harris Technologies | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War: $40 million DoD contract for 14 VAMPIRE systems, installation on U.S.-provided vehicles, Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative selection, field testing timeline, and WESCAM MX-10D RSTA targeting sensor context. | Accessed: 2026-06-27Nearly $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for UkrainePublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War: supplied to Ukraine through the August 2022 Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package. | Accessed: 2026-06-27L3Harris' VAMPIRE System Helps U.S. Navy Fill Ukraine's Counter UAS Gap with Speed and AgilityPublisher: L3Harris Technologies | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War: fielded by Ukrainian ground forces to target enemy drones and defend against adversary ground threats after all systems were delivered to DoD. | Accessed: 2026-06-27Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS)Publisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports APKWS rocket specifications used to describe the VAMPIRE munition. | Accessed: 2026-06-27L3Harris Announces New Variants for its VAMPIRE SystemPublisher: L3Harris Technologies | Note: Supports the 2025 family expansion and the additional land, maritime, airborne, base-defense, containerized, and electronic-warfare VAMPIRE roles. | Accessed: 2026-06-30L3Harris Ramps Up Production of Counter-Unmanned SystemsPublisher: L3Harris Technologies | Note: Supports expanded VAMPIRE production in Huntsville, Alabama and customer demand for additional systems. | Accessed: 2026-06-30L3Harris Delivering Counter-Drone Systems to U.S. ArmyPublisher: L3Harris Technologies | Note: Supports the 2026 U.S. Army VAMPIRE order, APKWS rocket configuration, L3Harris proximity fuze, WESCAM MX-10D sensor, Widow mission-management software, and FAADC2 interoperability. | Accessed: 2026-06-30