The U.S. Navy will complete the delivery of a new Counter-Unmanned Air System (UAS) weapon system to Ukraine this month as part of the Department of Defense aid package. Last year, the contingency operations team for the Direct and Time Sensitive Strike program office (PMA-242) began working an urgent requirement to deliver rocket-launching platforms, known as Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) systems, to support wartime efforts in Ukraine. VAMPIRE is a compact, palletized rocket-launching platform that consists of a sensor ball and four-shot Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) launchers designed to mount to any truck with a flatbed. The U.S. Navy and Army have traditionally used APKWS against air-to-ground targets. With VAMPIRE, the laser-guided rocket can defend against unmanned aerial threats.
“Early reports indicate the weapon system is having an immediate impact in the ongoing Ukrainian wartime effort. This activity is another example of our team responding to urgent requirements with unprecedented speed and agility,” said Capt. Alex Dutko, PMA-242 program manager.
“We delivered the first four systems in only six months by leveraging an innovative contracting strategy and working diligently to keep pace with the system’s rapid development,” said Cmdr. Kevin Raspet, PMA-242 foreign military sales deputy program manager.
PMA-242’s Contingency Operations Case Manager Robert Galan said the team had placed a heavy emphasis on speed to the warfighter and was able to explore several contracting authorities to streamline the process and focus on building and delivering an operationally effective system. In coming weeks, the PMA-242 CO team also plans to deliver the first ever APKWS with proximity fuze warheads, a key enabling technology for the C-UAS mission, Galan said. The proximity fuze incorporates an RF sensor that enables APKWS to target Group 2 and Group 3 UAVs. PMA-242 will deliver 14 VAMPIRE systems to Ukraine’s ground forces for targeting and neutralizing UAVs and defending against ground threats. L3Harris completed installation and delivery of all systems, in support of Ukrainian defense efforts, on time to U.S. Department of Defense.
VAMPIRE’s mission management system integrates an advanced company WESCAM MX™-10 RSTA targeting sensor with its weapons station, allowing an operator to engage targets quickly and accurately. The AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) is a design conversion of Hydra 70 unguided rockets with a laser guidance kit to turn them into precision-guided munitions (PGMs). It combines affordability with accuracy from the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System rocket, selected specifically for use in Ukraine, which will incorporate L3Harris’ proximity fuze for increased system lethality for engaging ground and aerial targets. This configuration allows existing warheads from the Hydra 70 system to be used without the need for a laser seeker in the missile nose. The company began field testing in 2021 and continued range and durability tests in summer 2022. The portable VAMPIRE kit will allow Ukraine ground forces to target and shoot down enemy drones and defend against adversary ground threats.
