(Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Defense awarded L3Harris Technologies Inc a $40 million contract to deliver 14 anti-drone weapon systems to bolster Ukraine’s security forces, the defense contractor said on Friday.
The company said its Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) kit will allow Ukraine ground forces to target, shoot down enemy drones and defend against ground threats.
Under the contract, L3Harris will deliver four VAMPIRE units by mid-2023 and ten more by year-end.
The defense contractor will install the kits on U.S. government-provided vehicles for combat support to the Ukrainian battlefield.
The United States and its allies have supported Ukraine with billions of dollars in weapons for the war against Russia since it began last year.
Separately, a new U.S. weapons aid package for Ukraine worth more than $3 billion is set to be announced later on Friday and will include Sea Sparrow missiles for air defense and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, according to a document seen by Reuters.
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(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)