Ukraine will be a proving ground of sorts for the VAMPIRE. Ultimately, the VAMPIRE will be a part of a broader ecosystem of different kinds of sensors, launchers, and jammers that make up air defense in Eastern Ukraine. Additionally, civilian trucks to mount it on are plentiful, but they often lack armor, and could be vulnerable if they operate too close to the front. The range has been the subject of some debate because the missile has more often been fired from aircraft, but it is likely limited to about 2 miles. It will not be ready until May of next year and its short range and four-barrel limit mean that it might not be able to stop a concentration of drones without additional assistance. The VAMPIRE by itself, however, is not a miracle solution for Russian drones in the short term. In sufficient numbers, systems like the VAMPIRE give Ukrainian forces the ability to quickly and cheaply threaten Putin’s drones while saving their most advanced anti-aircraft systems for the most important areas of the country. Twenty-seven thousand dollars per round is expensive, but when compared to the U.K.’s $1.5 million Light-Multirole Missile, which was provided to Ukraine and has a similar range against drones, the financial benefits are immediately apparent. The VAMPIRE’s munitions cost about $27,000 each-cheap for a guided missile-and the launcher and targeting system can be attached to the back of most pickup trucks. As drones become cheaper and more available, militaries are looking for ways to shoot them down that don’t break the bank. Shorter-ranged systems are cheaper but spreading them thin to defeat drones could reduce their ability to engage helicopters and jets. Advanced drones also cost millions, but smaller ones can cost a few hundred dollars. Depending on the system, the missile that shoots down the drone could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, much more than the drone itself. For traditional air defense, which was designed to take down airplanes and helicopters, small drones can present a costly dilemma. Where the VAMPIRE might change the game for the Ukrainians, and for the future of drone warfare, is the low cost. The confusingly named system is not the first or most capable air defense system the Biden administration has supplied to Ukraine, but its unique features and price point put it on the frontier of the evolving fight against small drones. aid package, $3 billion aimed at supplying current material and building long-term capacity, features a new weapon: the Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE). Ukraine is eager to get systems that can shoot down Russian, and potentially Iranian, drones. The drone war over Ukraine’s skies is becoming more intense as both sides modify commercial drones to do everything from dropping grenades into trenches to crashing into oil refineries. Ukraine and Russia use hundreds of drones to spy on each other’s movements, identify targets for artillery, and fire munitions of their own. Outside of decades-old weapons systems such as the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher and HARM anti-radiation missile, the central focus of public interest has been in drone technology, including U.S.-supplied Switchblade and the more mysterious Phoenix Ghost. has sent to Ukraine, a growing collection of new and innovative weapons has captured international attention. Alongside the billions of dollars in money and aid the U.S.
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