L3Harris to develop long-range drone killer for U.S. Army

L3Harris Technologies has received a three-year contract worth up to $60 million to develop a long-range, maneuverable missile for the U.S. Army that is designed to shoot down small and medium drones at greater distances than today’s interceptors.

The company announced the award on Oct. 23, 2026, under the Xtended Range Counter-sUAS Missile program run by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. L3Harris said it has advanced to the program’s second phase, which involves flight performance testing of a fully integrated interceptor that offers greater range, speed and operational flexibility than current systems, and the missile is meant to engage traditional short-range air defense threats such as aircraft and helicopters as well as drones.

“We are leveraging L3Harris’ deep technical expertise across propulsion, guidance and advanced manufacturing to deliver a next-generation interceptor that meets the Army’s evolving mission requirements,” said Scott Alexander, president of Propulsion Systems at L3Harris Missile Solutions. “This design combines innovative propulsion with advanced seeker technologies to provide a highly capable, modular and cost-effective solution deployable from existing launch platforms.”

The key to the design is an air-breathing ramjet engine. Unlike a conventional rocket motor, which has to carry both fuel and the oxidizer needed to burn it, a ramjet takes oxygen from the air it flies through, freeing space inside the missile for more fuel. L3Harris said its approach improves fuel efficiency and extends engagement range, and the company is also adapting the interceptor to work with existing U.S. military platforms so it can be integrated quickly into current air defense networks.

The Army launched the program, also known as XRC, to find a missile that can be fired from the Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher with more range than the current Stinger for the counter-drone mission. The service has said it wants the new weapon to reach farther, react faster, hit harder and reload more quickly, with a focus on larger drones that fly higher and from greater standoff distances, while still protecting maneuvering forces carried by systems such as the Maneuver Short Range Air Defense, or M-SHORAD, vehicle.

L3Harris is one of several companies working on the effort. Northrop Grumman received an $18.8 million agreement from the same Army center earlier this fall to develop and integrate solid fuel ramjet propulsion for XRC missile prototypes, with ground and flight testing planned through December 2029 at its Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in West Virginia.

The L3Harris contract runs for three years, and the full $60 million value depends on continued funding as the company moves its interceptor through the second-phase flight tests.