L3Harris Long-Range Drone Interceptor Advances to Flight Testing Under $60M US Army Contract

L3Harris received a three-year U.S. Army contract worth up to $60 million to advance a long-range interceptor for the Xtended Range Counter-sUAS Missile programme, announced on October 23, 2026. The effort has entered a second phase involving flight-performance tests of a fully integrated interceptor against small and medium unmanned aircraft and other short-range air-defence threats. L3Harris is combining advanced seekers with a modular propulsion design that includes work on air-breathing ramjet technology and compatibility with existing launch platforms. The announcement covers development and testing, not a production order or operational deployment of the missile.