SAN DIEGO — Shield AI has licensed its Tracker Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (Tracker C-UAS) software to L3Harris Technologies for integration with the VAMPIRE counter-drone system.
The integration combines Shield AI’s artificial intelligence-based detection and tracking software with VAMPIRE’s existing electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensors and precision engagement capabilities.
Tracker C-UAS is part of Shield AI’s Vision Systems product line. The software uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to analyze EO/IR video, allowing it to detect, discriminate and track aerial threats. It operates passively and does not require radar or radio-frequency emissions to identify and track targets.
This gives operators an additional way to detect approaching unmanned aerial systems without transmitting signals that could reveal their position.
The integration builds on testing conducted by the two companies in 2025. During a U.S. Department of Defense Technology Readiness Experimentation event, Tracker C-UAS was paired with L3Harris WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR sensors. The demonstration showed the software detecting multiple classes of unmanned aerial systems at extended ranges, including targets that were partially obscured.
VAMPIRE System
VAMPIRE, short for Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletised ISR Rocket Equipment, is a self-contained system designed for installation on vehicles, vessels or fixed positions.
The system uses a WESCAM MX-series electro-optical sensor, commonly the MX-10, with thermal imaging and television cameras for target detection and tracking. The sensor can also provide laser designation for guided munitions.
VAMPIRE is equipped with a four-round launcher for 70 mm guided rockets. Its primary munition is BAE Systems’ Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), while the system can also fire the Thales FZ275 laser-guided rocket.
According to L3Harris, VAMPIRE systems have accumulated more than 350,000 operational hours since 2023 and have destroyed hundreds of hostile drones, primarily in support of European operations that include use by Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
Focus on Passive Drone Detection
The addition of Tracker C-UAS is intended to strengthen the detection and tracking portion of the VAMPIRE system. The software can process imagery from existing cameras rather than requiring a separate radar-based detection system.
RAND Corporation analyst Michael Bohnert has noted that combining Tracker C-UAS with VAMPIRE could improve detection and interception of more complex aerial targets, including high-speed, jet-powered drones.
L3Harris President of Targeting & Sensor Systems and Communications & Spectrum Dominance Tony Calderon said the integration enhances threat detection, target tracking and counter-UAS engagement while improving force survivability.
Christian Gutierrez, senior vice president of Hivemind at Shield AI, said combining passive AI-based sensing with VAMPIRE gives operators the ability to detect threats early and respond more quickly.
Shield AI is also making Tracker C-UAS available for licensing on other platforms already used by operators.
The companies did not disclose the value of the licensing agreement, the number of VAMPIRE systems to receive the software or a delivery schedule.
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