The Vampire rocket system developed by L3Harris Technologies being used in Ukraine to combat Russian drones, according to media reports. The US defence department awarded L3Harris a USD40 million contract to deliver 14 Vehicular Agnostic Modular Palletised ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) multi-purpose weapons system to strengthen Ukrainian security defence efforts in January 2023.
The equipment is truck-mounted and outfitted with fuses designed to detonate near unmanned aerial vehicles.
A statement by the Pentagon’s Acquisition and Sustainment Office says the weapons are designed to help Ukraine to defeat Russian strikes. “Initial Vampire systems have been delivered and are in operation by Ukrainian Armed Forces,” it said.
Four of the first 14 systems arrived in Ukraine midyear, with the rest to come by year-end.
Unlike the bulk of US military aid to Ukraine, which comes from existing stocks, the Vampire contract taps the defence industry directly under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, according to the South China Morning Post.
(Image: L3Harris VAMPIRE)
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