The United States revealed it will send an anti-drone aerial system known as VAMPIRE to Ukraine as part of its latest military aid package.
On August 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day, the Pentagon announced that it will supply the country with nearly $3 billion in equipment and ammunition as it fights the Russian invasion.
The largest tranche of security aid to Ukraine the US has sent to date includes an unspecified number of anti-drone systems called Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment, or VAMPIRE, a source confirmed. spokesman for L3 Harris, a technology company and defense contractor.
A “fact sheet” on the L3 Harris website describes the VAMPIRE as a modular system that provides “precision strike capability.”
In addition to being able to target drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, VAMPIRE is designed to engage a variety of other targets.
Like the HIMARS Missile Systems, which the US has also sent to Ukraine, VAMPIRE can be deployed on vehicles such as pickup trucks.
“… Our VAMPIRE system provides the Ukrainian armed forces with even more powerful capabilities as they continue to defend their country and democracy in Europe, and we will continue to provide our unwavering support for their mission,” he was quoted as saying by L3 Harris.
The latest injection of military aid now means the US has now sent more than $13.5 billion in security aid to Ukraine since January 2021.