L3Harris Upgrades Military Radios to Detect and Track FPV Drones

L3Harris Technologies will turn tactical radios into systems for detecting and neutralizing FPV drones.

The American company L3Harris Technologies announced the new Wraith Shield software solution designed for counter-drone operations.

Developed jointly with DataShapes AI, the new system allows existing tactical radios to be used for the detection, classification, and jamming of small drones.

The solution is a software upgrade that will initially be deployed on compact AN/PRC-171 tactical radios before being expanded to other compatible systems in the Wraith family.

According to L3Harris Technologies, the upgrade could eventually be integrated into more than 100,000 tactical radios already used by the U.S. military, NATO members, and allied forces.

The system uses radio-frequency data collected by field communications equipment to detect drone signals in real time and relay that information directly to the operator.

Once a threat is identified, a soldier can attempt to jam the drone’s control link with the press of a button, effectively turning the radio into an electronic warfare tool.

The technology is based on the Wraith wideband waveform previously developed by L3Harris Technologies for secure tactical communications in contested electronic warfare environments.

The company says the key advantage of the solution is that it requires no new hardware, no separate operator training, and adds no extra burden to frontline troops.

The company says the system was designed in response to the rapid spread of FPV drones, which are widely used in Russia’s war against Ukraine and are transforming modern warfare tactics.

The project also reflects a broader shift among Western defense companies away from costly dedicated counter-drone systems and toward scalable solutions that can be deployed quickly through software updates to existing military equipment.

Previously, L3Harris Technologies unveiled software capable of coordinating swarms of thousands of drones.