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The VAMPIRE systems, developed by L3Harris, are designed to enable civilian utility vehicles to transform into portable counter-drone missile launchers.
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The agreement between L3Harris and the US Department of Defense for 14 tailored Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) multi-purpose weapons systems will help the Ukrainian military target and shoot down Russian drones while defending from ground threats.
Valued at US$40 million, the contract will see the prime contractor install the VAMPIRE kits on US-provided vehicles to provide battlefield combat support and defend critical civilian infrastructure.
The capability is designed to transform civilian utility vehicles into portable missile launchers.
Under the current schedule, four systems are expected to be delivered by mid-2023 with 10 additional systems to be delivered by the end of the year.
A prototype of the VAMPIRE was originally submitted to the Department of Defense in April 2022, with field testing having commenced in 2021.
“We’ve invested in procurement, testing and certification since August so VAMPIRE production can begin without delay,” Luke Savoie, president, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at L3Harris, said.
“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.”
The VAMPIRE’s weapons station includes an advanced WESCAM MX-10 RSTA targeting sensor, with an Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System rocket which has been specifically selected for the Ukrainian battlefield.
In December, local Australian company Black Sky Aerospace (BSA) tested its vehicle-mounted, ultra-mobile artillery rocket from the back of a civilian ute this week, as part of the company’s program to develop a guided weapons and explosive ordnance solution.
The mobile artillery rocket was developed as part of an accelerated program to create a missile system that can be mounted on civilian vehicles, aimed at keeping Australia safe in the event of extreme circumstances like the invasion of Ukraine.
According to chief executive officer of Black Sky Aerospace Blake Nikolic, the BSA team was inspired by the events in Ukraine to enhance Australia’s warfighting capability.
“When we saw what was going on in Ukraine, the team thought that was the chance to develop something groundbreaking that might be able to help,” Nikolic said.
“We still have more work to do but I’m so proud of how far the team has come in solving problems to get us to the point where we are firing prototypes off a ute.
“Working with our Queensland-based partners, we have tested the guidance system and gathered much-needed data to take the project to the next level.”
James Baker, BSA general manager of defence and national security, explained that the company expects to make further leaps in the development of the locally designed and built weapons systems.
“Future variants on larger vehicles will be capable of greater distance and payloads but staying offensive-weapons-free has allowed us to make much faster progress than would otherwise be possible,” he explained.
Earlier in the year, the company tested Australia’s largest ever locally built solid rocket boosters and trialled an “Australian-first training missile”.
“This has been a year of quantum leaps in Australia’s rocket propulsion technologies and local guided weapons development,” Nikolic said.
[Related: Black Sky unveils sovereign practice missile]
