At Exercise Balikatan 2026, United States and allied forces evaluated L3Harris’ VAMPIRE modular counter-uncrewed systems (C-UxS) system, examining its effectiveness in simulated engagements.
Exercise Balikatan 2026 underscored the growing drone threat in the Indo-Pacific region and other environments. It is the largest annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Philippines and the United States, and this year also included Australia, Japan, France, Canada and New Zealand.
In early 2026, L3Harris initiated high-volume production of VAMPIRE at its manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama. The company said the new production line is a direct response to the need to combat the persistent drone threat posing risks to military personnel and infrastructure.
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Image: A US Army VAMPIRE system, assigned to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 51st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 7th Infantry Division/Multi-Domain Command – Pacific at Exercise Balikatan 2026. (L3Harris)