The Wraith Shield Advantage: Transforming L3Harris Radios into AI-Enabled Counter-UAS Sensors | L3Harris® Fast. Forward.
AI Analysis
L3Harris has developed Wraith Shield, a software upgrade for Falcon IV radios that utilizes AI to detect and neutralize small drones by disrupting their signals. This system transforms existing radios into a distributed C-UAS network, leveraging the existing Wraith waveform for enhanced resilience against electronic warfare. The upgrade is intended to provide a cost-effective, layered defense against the increasing threat of both sophisticated and low-cost drones.
Key Takeaways
- Wraith Shield is a software-only upgrade for existing L3Harris Falcon IV radios, minimizing procurement costs.
- The system utilizes AI and RF sensing to detect and disrupt drone signals, causing them to fall from the sky.
- L3Harris partnered with DataShapes AI for the AI-enabled capabilities.
- Wraith Shield builds upon the existing Wraith waveform, designed for resilience against electronic warfare.
- The system is designed to counter both sophisticated UAS and inexpensive, weaponized commercial drones (FPV).
Why It Matters
The proliferation of low-cost drones poses a significant threat to military forces and critical infrastructure. Wraith Shield offers a scalable and adaptable solution by repurposing existing equipment, creating a distributed C-UAS network that addresses the limitations of single-point defense systems. This approach is crucial for cost-effectively defending against the evolving drone threat landscape.
The Wraith Shield Advantage: Transforming L3Harris Radios into AI-Enabled Counter-UAS Sensors | L3Harris® Fast. Forward.
The Wraith Shield Advantage: Transforming L3Harris Radios into AI-Enabled Counter-UAS Sensors
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Soldiers equipped with Falcon® IV radios will soon gain a sense-and-protect capability for counter-UAS operations through a software-only upgrade.
Editorial
The Wraith Shield Advantage: Transforming L3Harris Radios into AI-Enabled Counter-UAS Sensors
L3Harris has partnered with DataShapes AI to be the first in industry to deliver a converged, AI-enabled solution for assured communications and counter-UAS protection at the tactical edge – transforming widely fielded radios into a distributed, intelligent sensing and response network.
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The proliferation of drone warfare in combat zones around the world has created a dynamic shift in military strategy and tactics to provide protection to both national borders and troops defending them.
The breadth of unmanned systems within adversarial inventories presents an added challenge when warfighters must contend with both sophisticated, large unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as well as attritable, commercial drones deliberately weaponized for one way attack missions against personnel and critical assets.
A single air defense system simply cannot contend with every single drone threat in an area of operation – nor is it feasible to deliver the same kinetic effect for a large unmanned system as a first-person view (FPV) drone costing a few hundred dollars. A layered posture to defeat unmanned threats is required to cost-effectively defend against this new form of warfare.
To meet this critical need, warfighters operating in forward deployed environments will soon have access to L3Harris Technologies’ Wraith Shield™ software – a capability that turns existing tactical radios widely fielded across U.S., NATO, Five Eyes and allied forces into mobile, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled radio frequency sensing and effects platforms that serve as a shield against small drone attacks.
“Wraith Shield is a prime example of how L3Harris continues to innovate as the Trusted Disruptor in the market,” said Chris Aebli, President, Mission Critical Communications, L3Harris. “It enables operators to disrupt hostile drone signals directly from their radios. With the press of a button, personnel can neutralize attritable unmanned systems, causing them to drop from the sky.”
L3Harris developed the Wraith™ waveform – the first wideband, fast frequency-hopping tactical waveform – in the early 2020s, and it is fielded today in operations where users’ communications face sophisticated electronic warfare attacks. As an enhancement to the Wraith waveform, the company’s Rapid Prototyping Group began development of the Wraith Shield upgrade last year to counter adversaries’ ability to deploy smaller, commercial drones to attack targets of interest.
The Wraith Shield capability will