Long-range precision-guided missiles will become a new attack capability for U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper helicopters by 2027, the U.S. Navy announced Friday.
The Navy awarded an $86.2 million contract to L3Harris Technologies that will see the company’s Red Wolf missile systems be produced for the Marine Corps’ Precision Attack Strike Munition program, according to a Naval Air Systems Command release.
The missiles, plus training and support materials, are to be provided by the end of fiscal 2027.
The systems will enable Marine attack helicopters flying at low altitudes to strike maritime targets with both kinetic and nonkinetic effects from across long distances.
In December, a Marine AH-1Z Viper helicopter launched a Red Wolf system at a maritime target in a demonstration.
The Red Wolf is part of L3Harris’ package of launched effects called the Wolf Pack. The systems are autonomous missiles that zero in on targets from up to 200 nautical miles away and can be deployed in swarms.
The Red Wolf is designed for kinetic strikes, while its sister missile, the Green Wolf, delivers electronic warfare capabilities.
“Recent conflicts and incursions over NATO airspace, particularly with the increased use of mass-produced drones, demonstrates the urgent need for cost-effective alternatives to exquisite munitions,” Christopher Kubasik, chairman and CEO of L3Harris, said in a statement.
“Our proven Red Wolf system can bring affordable mass to the Marines’ arsenal of advanced munitions within the timeline U.S. officials have outlined to support the most lethal fighting force in the world.”
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
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