VAMPIRE is a self-contained weapons system that provides reconnaissance and precision strike capabilities against drones and other remotely piloted aircraft. The Army ordered it to meet an urgent counter-drone requirement.
“From day one, our team has worked side-by-side with the Army to rapidly field VAMPIRE systems,” said Chris Aebli, president of Communications & Spectrum Dominance at L3Harris. “U.S. armed forces are now equipped to reliably defend personnel and vital assets against drone threats.”
L3Harris announced high-volume VAMPIRE production at its dedicated Huntsville, Alabama, facility in March 2026, ahead of the Army order. The company established the line to meet U.S. and allied demand for protection against drone threats to troops and infrastructure.
The facility combines assembly, testing and installation space for fitting VAMPIRE onto ground vehicles and containerized weapon systems. Its flexible production line can increase output as demand changes.
L3Harris developed and invested in VAMPIRE at the beginning of the war in Ukraine to provide a low-cost means of defeating Russian drones. The company said military forces have used the technology extensively in European combat operations, logging more than 350,000 operational hours since 2023.
The initial Army deliveries follow that operational use and the start of high-volume production in Huntsville. L3Harris did not disclose how many systems it has delivered or when the order will be completed.
