The new missile’s claim to fame is its (proposed) use of an innovative “ramjet,” a fuel-efficient jet engine relying on external air rather than internal fuel for oxygen.

The US Army will pay L3Harris Technologies up to $60 million to support the development of a long-range, maneuverable interceptor for the US Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center’s Xtended Range Counter-sUAS Missile program.

The company announced the three-year contract in a media release, suggesting that it intended to deliver “a fully integrated interceptor that delivers greater range, speed and operational flexibility than current systems.”

“We are leveraging L3Harris’ deep technical expertise across propulsion, guidance and advanced manufacturing to deliver a next-generation interceptor that meets the Army’s evolving mission requirements,” L3Harris Missile Solutions executive Scott Alexander said in the release. “This design combines innovative propulsion with advanced seeker technologies to provide a highly capable, modular and cost-effective solution deployable from existing launch platforms.”

The new interceptor is designed for defeating small- and medium-sized unmanned aircraft along with conventional short-range air-defense threats. L3Harris has advanced into the program’s second phase, which will include flight-performance testing.

What Kind of Missile Is L3Harris Building for the US Army?

L3Harris is developing a fully integrated interceptor missile that it says will incorporate propulsion, guidance, and advanced seeker technologies. The design is understood to emphasize longer engagement ranges, high maneuverability against airborne targets, improved speed and operational flexibility, modular construction, and compatibility with existing launch platforms.

The missile’s most critical innovation, however, will be a new approach to air-breathing ramjet propulsion, with the expectation that it will have greater range and fuel efficiency than existing ramjet-powered missiles. On the flip side, the missile’s intended compatibility with existing launch platforms will reduce the need for an entirely new supporting infrastructure, keeping costs down and ensuring flexibility.

So far, however, the interceptor’s specifications—including dimensions, speed, max range, warhead, or seeker—have not been disclosed. Nor has L3Harris indicated which existing launchers will support the new weapon.

The inclusion of ramjet propulsion is significant. Conventional solid-fuel rockets carry both fuel and an internal oxidizer, allowing them to operate independently of atmospheric oxygen. However, oxidizers typically make up a large proportion of the total mass of the fuel, reducing its power. As an example, ammonium perchlorate composite propellant (APCP), a common rocket fuel, is around 70 percent oxidizer, while the propellant itself is a much smaller proportion of the total fuel. A ramjet engine can utilize oxygen from the surrounding air, which reduces the amount of oxidizer required. At sufficiently high speeds, forward motion compresses incoming air before combustion, which can offer advantages for sustained high-speed propulsion and extended range.

In order to reach speeds sufficient for operation, ramjets typically require an initial boost—one reason many ramjet-powered weapons are two-stage rockets, with the first stage powered by conventional propellant. Further engineering challenges include airflow, combustion stability, and operation across different flight conditions.

Why Does the Army Want a New Interceptor Missile Now?

The announcement comes at a time when the Army is actively seeking to improve its drone defense architecture.

The proliferation of inexpensive unmanned aircraft has transformed modern warfare. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated how drones can be employed for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, and precision attacks. Small drones can threaten vehicles, personnel, logistics facilities, and military installations, while larger one-way attack drones can strike targets at considerable distances. Traditional air-defense systems can be used against these modern, cheap threats, despite being designed to intercept aircraft, helicopters, and missiles. But these traditional systems are expensive and hard to build; using them against cheap drones creates an unsustainable cost-exchange ratio, whereby attackers can launch large numbers of low-cost drones and force defenders into the expensive position of having to expend limited and exquisite missile inventories.

The Army therefore seeks a layered approach that combines electronic warfare and jamming with guns and short-range weapons, lower-cost guided interceptors, and longer-range air-defense missiles. L3Harris’s interceptor is intended to help address the longer-range portion of this problem.

Improved counter-drone capabilities could become especially important during a conflict involving large numbers of unmanned aircraft, as Ukraine and Iran suggest is quite likely in future warfare. US forces may well be in the situation where long-range interceptors are needed to help protect airfields, supply depots, and forward-deployed units. L3Harris is currently working on such a long-range interceptor, but the Army will still need to evaluate whether the new interceptor can reliably defeat incoming threats.

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a writer and attorney focused on national security, technology, and political culture. His work has appeared in Tablet, City Journal, The Hill, The Spectator, and The Cipher Brief. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global & Joint Program Studies from NYU. More at harrisonkass.com.

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