L3Harris announced a new electronic warfare capability called Wraith Shield, which converts existing Falcon IV handheld radios into portable counter-drone jammers. This software-defined system operates as a personal protective bubble for soldiers by broadcasting white noise to scramble enemy drone control signals. Because the technology functions through a software upgrade rather than requiring new hardware, it is compatible with over 100,000 Falcon IV units currently in global service. The upgrade costs in the single-digit thousands of dollars per unit, according to Chris Aebli, president for Mission Critical Communications.

The system utilizes artificial intelligence algorithms developed with partner DataShapes AI to identify and distinguish hostile drone control frequencies from friendly communication signals in real-time. Once a threat is detected, the radios utilize a local ad hoc network to coordinate jamming across multiple devices. The current iteration supports synchronized jamming from 40 radios simultaneously, with future development goals aimed at scaling this capacity to 100 radios. Depending on the drone model, the interference causes units to lose control, circle, return to base, or crash.

Wraith Shield functions as a component of broader layered defense strategies by sharing detected threat data with command posts or higher-tier counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS). The core Wraith waveform was developed between 2022 and 2023, incorporating operational insights from the conflict in Ukraine. The system leverages the existing processing power inherent in modern software-defined radios to maintain signal integrity while neutralizing drone threats in diverse environments.

L3Harris announced a new electronic warfare capability called Wraith Shield, which converts existing Falcon IV handheld radios into portable counter-drone jammers. This software-defined system operates as a personal protective bubble for soldiers by broadcasting white noise to scramble enemy drone control signals. Because the technology functions through a software upgrade rather than requiring new hardware, it is compatible with over 100,000 Falcon IV units currently in global service. The upgrade costs in the single-digit thousands of dollars per unit, according to Chris Aebli, president for Mission Critical Communications.

The system utilizes artificial intelligence algorithms developed with partner DataShapes AI to identify and distinguish hostile drone control frequencies from friendly communication signals in real-time. Once a threat is detected, the radios utilize a local ad hoc network to coordinate jamming across multiple devices. The current iteration supports synchronized jamming from 40 radios simultaneously, with future development goals aimed at scaling this capacity to 100 radios. Depending on the drone model, the interference causes units to lose control, circle, return to base, or crash.

Wraith Shield functions as a component of broader layered defense strategies by sharing detected threat data with command posts or higher-tier counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS). The core Wraith waveform was developed between 2022 and 2023, incorporating operational insights from the conflict in Ukraine. The system leverages the existing processing power inherent in modern software-defined radios to maintain signal integrity while neutralizing drone threats in diverse environments.