$40 Million for Customised Package
L3Harris Technologies announced on 6 January it has received a $40 million contract from the US DoD to deliver 14 Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) multi-purpose weapon systems specifically tailored to assist Ukraine to provide critical defence against attacks on civilian infrastructure.
The portable VAMPIRE will allow Ukrainian ground forces to target and destroy hostile drones and counter adversary ground threats. “We’ve invested in procurement, testing and certification since August so VAMPIRE production can begin without delay,” commented Luke Savoie, President, ISR at L3Harris. “We’re committed to supporting a US strategic partner with a robust capability, as the people of Ukraine continue to defend their country and protect their independence”.
Under the DoD contract, L3Harris will install VAMPIRE kits on US government-provided vehicles for agile combat support to the Ukrainian battlefield. The contract calls for the company to deliver 14 VAMPIRE systems to DoD – four by mid-2023, ten by year end. The VAMPIRE prototype, submitted to DoD in April, was selected in August as part of DoD’s $3 billion security assistance package under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Field testing began in 2021, with range and durability testing continuing in summer 2022.
The mission management system integrates an advanced WESCAM MX-10 RSTA targeting sensor with its weapons station, allowing operators to quickly and accurately engage targets. The low-cost, highly accurate Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System rocket, selected specifically for use in Ukraine, provides increased lethality for engaging small or soft targets when combined with L3Harris’ proximity fuze.
