L3Harris unveils Wraith Shield update

L3Harris Technologies said on May 13 that it had developed a software update, called Wraith Shield, that turns its Falcon IV tactical radios into distributed counter-drone sensors and jammers. The company said the upgrade works through the existing Wraith waveform and does not require new antennas, batteries or other hardware. Chris Aebli, president of mission critical communications at L3Harris, said the software is aimed at small unmanned aircraft, including first-person-view drones controlled by radio links. Breaking Defense reported that the system can detect, classify and disrupt those links using the radio soldiers already carry. ### How does the software change a radio a soldier already has? L3Harris said the upgrade is delivered as software on Wraith-enabled radios, extending a communications waveform into what it described as a sensing-and-effects role. In the company’s product sheet, Wraith Shield-equipped radios continue passing voice, GPS and data while also monitoring for signals associated with unmanned aerial system command-and-control links. When activated, the radios can disrupt those links. (l3harris.com) The Wraith waveform was developed in the early 2020s as a fast frequency-hopping tactical waveform built for contested electronic-warfare environments, the company said. Breaking Defense reported that Wraith Shield uses the radio’s existing antenna to scan for drone-control signals, identify hostile ones and coordinate jamming across the local network. (l3harris.com) ### What exactly is L3Harris saying the radios can do against drones? Wraith Shield is designed to detect, classify and visualize radio-frequency signals tied to commercial drone links and other emitters, according to L3Harris materials. The company said operators can use the system to build local situational awareness and feed that information into broader counter-UAS and air-defense command systems. (l3harris.com) Chris Aebli said in L3Harris’s May 13 editorial that operators can disrupt hostile drone signals “directly from their radios.” In the same company account, he said personnel could neutralize attritable unmanned systems “with the press of a button.” Breaking Defense reported that, depending on a drone’s programming, loss of its control link could cause it to return to base, hover or crash. (l3harris.com) ### How many radios could this reach, and what does it cost? L3Harris said the upgrade will be available as a future software release on all Wraith-capable tactical radios, including more than 100,000 systems already fielded with U.S., NATO, Five Eyes and allied forces. A company product sheet separately put the installed base at more than 150,000 Falcon IV radios worldwide, indicating a broader Falcon population than the subset of Wraith-capable sets cited in the editorial. (l3harris.com) Breaking Defense reported that Aebli told reporters the software would cost in the “single-digit thousands of dollars” per radio. Defense Daily separately reported the same pricing range for the upgrade. ### How large is the first network, and who built the AI piece? Breaking Defense reported that the current version of Wraith Shield can coordinate simultaneous jamming from 40 Falcon radios at once. (asdnews.com) The publication said L3Harris engineers are working toward raising that number to 100 radios in a later update. L3Harris said it partnered with DataShapes AI on the system. (breakingdefense.com) The company said DataShapes provided edge-native AI and helped create visualization tools so users can see potential threats in the electromagnetic spectrum around them. Rob Mariuz, L3Harris director of product management, said the capability delivers a “radio-as-a-sensor” function in distributed, data-centric networks. ### When does it reach the field? L3Harris said Wraith Shield will be deployed later this year on the RF-9820S Compact Team Radio, also known as the AN/PRC-171, and on the RF-9820S-ER embeddable version. The company said the same capability would later be offered as a software upgrade across other Wraith-capable radios, including the AN/PRC-158C, AN/PRC-163 and AN/PRC-167. (l3harris.com) Aebli told reporters that the product is “ready to be delivered,” according to Breaking Defense, but international sales are still awaiting U.S. export approval. He also said no formal order had been placed yet, while adding that some customers were ready to buy it “shortly.” (breakingdefense.com) (asdnews.com)