On August 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day, the US Defense Ministry, the Pentagon, announced that it would provide about $3 billion in additional aid to Ukrainian forces. A spokesman for technology company and defense contractor L3 Harris told Newsweek that the largest tranche of security assistance from the US to Ukraine so far includes an undisclosed number of counter drone systems called Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISRs. Rocket Equipment or ‘Vampire’.
Able to fit even on normal vehicles
According to information available on the L3 Harris website, the Vampire is a modular system that targets the enemy with ‘precise firepower’. It can target drones or other unmanned aerial vehicles. The Vampire is designed to attack a variety of targets. For example, it can also be used for surface-to-surface strikes. Best of all, like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) that the US has already delivered to Ukraine, the Vampire can also be fitted on ordinary vehicles such as pick-up trucks.
Vampire will increase the capacity of the Ukrainian army
L3 Harris says he has “supported the Ukrainian Defense Ministry for many years”. A company spokesman said that since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian troops have been able to communicate with the help of our advanced radio and SATCOM terminals. With the help of our night-vision and electro-optical systems, Ukrainian forces are able to track down the enemy easily. “Our vampire system will further strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian military,” he said. We will continue to extend our steadfast support to his mission.
hunts drones with small missiles
During a press conference last week, US Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr Colin Kahl confirmed that the counter UAV system Vampire would be used in the Ukraine war. He said that it is a kinetic system that uses small missiles to target a UAV in the sky. The recent US package means the US has sent $13.5 billion in security aid to Ukraine since January 2021.
A lot more than a vampire in the package
Regarding the new package, US officials said last Wednesday that in the coming years, this amount could be released to Ukrainian soldiers for training in combat with Russia. Officials said the package would be spent on contracts for three types of drones and other weapons and equipment that are expected to be used possibly after two years. Officials said it would fund the purchase of small, handheld Puma drones, long-range Scan Eagle surveillance drones and a ship-dropping British Vampire drone system.