Profile
- Type
- Modular counter-UAS rocket system
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- Introduced for Ukraine security assistance in 2023
Air Defense
VAMPIRE
VAMPIRE, short for Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment, is an L3Harris counter-UAS rocket system built as a self-contained kit for trucks and other flatbed platforms. In Ukraine it pairs an EO/IR targeting sensor with four-shot APKWS laser-guided rocket launchers, giving ground forces a mobile way to engage hostile drones and some ground threats at lower cost than larger air-defense interceptors.
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Built by
- L3Harris Technologies
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- Operationally supplied to Ukraine from 2023
- Used by
- Ukrainian Ground Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- L3Harris Technologies
- Designed
- Field testing began in 2021; selected for Ukraine security assistance in 2022
- Built by
- L3Harris Technologies
- Built in
- United States
- Unit cost
- $40 million U.S. contract for 14 Ukraine systems, excluding broader support context
- Produced
- 2023-present
- Number built
- At least 14 systems contracted for Ukraine
- Variants
- Baseline VAMPIRE truck-mounted system, VAMPIRE Stalker XR, VAMPIRE Black Wake, VAMPIRE CASKET, VAMPIRE BAT, VAMPIRE Killcode
Specifications
- Launcher
- Four-shot APKWS launcher on a palletized vehicle kit
- Primary munition
- 70 mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser-guided rockets
- Sensor
- WESCAM MX-10D RSTA EO/IR stabilized targeting sensor with laser designation
- Platform
- Designed to mount on trucks or other flatbed vehicles
- Role
- Counter-small UAS, ISR, and precision strike against selected ground threats
- Air-defense fuze
- APKWS proximity-fuze warheads planned for Group 2 and Group 3 UAV targets
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Ukraine
Supplied to Ukrainian ground forces as a U.S.-funded counter-UAS system; NAVAIR reported the first four systems delivered in mid-2023 and a plan to complete delivery of 14 systems by December 2023.
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VAMPIREPublisher: L3Harris Technologies | Note: Supports manufacturer background, system role, palletized architecture, WESCAM MX-10D RSTA sensor integration, and APKWS-compatible armament. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Navy to complete rapid delivery of new counter-UAS system to UkrainePublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict use by reporting VAMPIRE delivery to Ukrainian ground forces for wartime counter-UAS missions; also provides the U.S. Navy photo and technical details. | Accessed: 2026-06-20L3Harris Receives VAMPIRE Contract for Ukrainian Security Defense EffortsPublisher: L3Harris Technologies | Note: Directly supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict use by documenting the Department of Defense contract and 14-system delivery plan for Ukrainian security defense efforts. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Nearly $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for UkrainePublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Documents VAMPIRE systems in the August 2022 Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS)Publisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports APKWS rocket specifications used to describe the VAMPIRE munition. | Accessed: 2026-06-20