L3Harris showcases low-cost missile swarms with "Wolf Pack" concept, featuring both kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities.
L3Harris Unveils Revolutionary "Wolf Pack" Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
L3Harris Technologies has announced the launch of a groundbreaking series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) called the "Wolf Pack." These modular, launched-effect systems are designed for swarming applications and offer a flexible, affordable, and intelligent solution for both kinetic strikes and electronic warfare in heavily contested operational theaters.
The Red Wolf and Green Wolf UAVs, developed in less than five years, are engineered to work together as a comprehensive launched effects system. Each UAV boasts unique capabilities tailored to specific mission profiles.
Red Wolf: Precision Strike Missions
The Red Wolf is a kinetic platform, engineered for long-range precision strike missions. It can engage targets deep inside contested territory with ease. The UAV features a modular payload bay, accommodating various warhead configurations tailored to mission requirements.
Powered by a small turbojet engine, the Red Wolf is optimized for high-altitude, high-speed flight profiles. It can start at 40,000 feet altitude without pyrotechnics, demonstrating a range of over 200 nautical miles at low altitude and operating at sustained high subsonic speeds.
Stealth features such as a shovel-like nose and chine lines help reduce observability, while advanced onboard software supports autonomous coordination, dynamic re-targeting, in-flight mission updates, and swarming behaviors. The Red Wolf can be launched from multiple platforms, including crewed/uncrewed fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, ground, maritime, and rocket-assisted launch systems.
Green Wolf: Electronic Warfare Missions
The Green Wolf specializes in electronic warfare missions, performing electronic attack, detection, identification, geolocation, and jamming of enemy signals. Equipped with a robust sensor suite, it offers electronic attack capabilities alongside reconnaissance of hostile emitters, particularly adversarial air defense assets.
Green Wolf shares endurance and range characteristics similar to the Red Wolf, with over 200 nautical miles at low altitude and 60+ minutes of endurance. It operates in conjunction with the Red Wolf in multi-domain operations to strike, jam, or surveil targets dynamically in contested environments.
Both Red Wolf and Green Wolf are modular and scalable, designed for launch from a wide array of platforms across air, ground, and maritime domains.
Joint Tactical Role
Together, Red Wolf and Green Wolf form a comprehensive launched effects “wolf pack” system to close long-range kill chains. They can operate in concert to overwhelm adversary defenses, for instance, striking radar-emitting warships and ground stations while networked with UAVs, satellites, unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), and ground vehicles.
More than 40 successful flight tests have validated the capabilities of these UAVs, with initial low-rate production planned by the end of 2025. The Wolf Pack munitions could potentially be used in the Air Force, serving as a supplement to the ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoy.
The Red Wolf can detect, identify, locate, and report on what's in the battle area, while the Green Wolf vehicles are designed to dive on targets to destroy them kinetically. The new munitions can fit inside an F-35's weapon bay as well as on external racks.
The interoperability of the Red and Green Wolf across domains enables cost sharing and efficiency in spending. L3Harris is not currently eyeing a specific Air Force requirement but is open to exploring other deployment methods, such as containerized versions similar to the Rapid Dragon model for deployment.
[1] L3Harris Technologies. (n.d.). L3Harris Introduces Red Wolf and Green Wolf UAS for Swarming Applications. Retrieved from https://www.l3harris.com/newsroom/press-releases/2022/l3harris-introduces-red-wolf-and-green-wolf-uas-for-swarming-applications
[2] Stine, G. (2022, March 23). L3Harris unveils new Wolf Pack UAS for swarming operations. Retrieved from https://www.defensenews.com/space/2022/03/23/l3harris-unveils-new-wolf-pack-uas-for-swarming-operations/
[3] Singer, P. W. (2022, March 22). L3Harris unveils its new Wolf Pack swarming UAVs. Retrieved from https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a36899537/l3harris-wolf-pack-swarming-uavs/
[4] Drew, S. (2022, March 22). L3Harris unveils new swarming drones for the US military. Retrieved from https://www.c4isrnet.com/defense/2022/03/22/l3harris-unveils-new-swarming-drones-for-the-us-military/
- The Pentagon could potentially acquire L3Harris' Wolf Pack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which include the Red Wolf and Green Wolf, designed for swarming applications in both kinetic strikes and electronic warfare.
- The Red Wolf UAV, engineered for long-range precision strike missions, can engage targets deep inside contested territory with a modular payload bay accommodating various warhead configurations.
- Powered by a small turbojet engine, the Red Wolf operates at sustained high subsonic speeds, starting from 40,000 feet altitude without pyrotechnics, and offers stealth features for reduced observability.
- The Green Wolf specializes in electronic warfare missions, offering electronic attack capabilities alongside reconnaissance of hostile emitters, particularly adversarial air defense assets.
- Both Red Wolf and Green Wolf, when used together, can operate in concert to overwhelm adversary defenses, striking and jamming targets in contested environments, potentially including radar-emitting warships and ground stations.
- The integration of defense technology like the Wolf Pack UAVs could revolutionize air force warfare, especially in future space-based operations involving missiles and other aircraft.
