U.S. Navy Selects L3Harris Red Wolf Loitering Munition for Marine Corps Precision Strike.

L3Harris Technologies has been selected by the US Naval Air Systems Command to develop, test, and manufacture Red Wolf vehicles for the US Marine Corps’ Precision Attack Strike Munition program. The award supports the Marine Corps’ push for low-cost, long-range weapons that can be launched from vertical take-off and landing aircraft while operating in contested, beyond-line-of-sight environments.

L3Harris Technologies announced on January 30, 2026, that it has been chosen by the US Naval Air Systems Command to support the Marine Corps’ Precision Attack Strike Munition program with its Red Wolf loitering strike vehicle. According to company and Navy statements, the effort will cover development, testing, and production of the system, which is intended to provide Marine aviation units with an affordable, flexible option for engaging targets at extended ranges from platforms such as the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter. The selection reflects ongoing Pentagon interest in modular, network-enabled munitions designed for operations in increasingly contested air and electromagnetic environments.
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L3Harris will develop Red Wolf strike vehicles for the Marine Corps, supporting affordable long-range attacks from helicopters in contested environments. (Picture source: US DoD)

The Navy’s selection follows an extensive test history for the system, with 52 launched effects vehicle flights completed to date. The company also highlights recent low-altitude test firing from a Marine AH-1Z helicopter, presented as a key milestone demonstrating that Red Wolf can be integrated into operational rotary-wing profiles without relying on permissive airspace or high-altitude launch conditions. The effort is framed as an answer to an evolving battlefield where quantity, responsiveness, and cost discipline increasingly shape outcomes as much as exquisite performance.

Red Wolf is presented as the kinetic-strike member of a broader “Wolf Pack” of launched effects, alongside Green Wolf for electronic warfare (electronic warfare, EW), including electronic attack (Electronic Attack, EA) and Detect, Identify, Locate and Report (DILR) missions. The concept is built around flexible payload options and a connected employment model, where the same family of vehicles can support precision strike, target tracking, decoying, or communications relay depending on configuration. Flight testing began in 2020, and L3Harris states the vehicles have launched from crewed and uncrewed fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, and ground-based platforms, with the option for rocket-assisted launch from ground or sea platforms.

L3Harris claims endurance proven in flight testing at 60+ minutes, with high subsonic speeds, and a 200+ nautical mile range at low altitude. The same documentation points to an open system architecture and modular payload interfaces, supported by software designed for real-time decisions, in-flight retargeting, and networked coordination with other systems. L3Harris also highlights an optional parachute recovery system intended to enable quick in-theater refurbishment for back-to-back flights, an approach meant to reduce per-mission cost without compromising payload effects.

Red Wolf’s relevance is amplified by what the AH-1Z brings as a launch platform: a survivable, expeditionary attack helicopter designed to operate close to Marine ground forces and to fight in cluttered littoral terrain where masking and rapid repositioning matter. From an integration perspective, L3Harris states Red Wolf is the only effects system to have successfully launched from a Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper, and that it exceeds the Precision Attack Strike Munition (PASM) objectives, which implies the weapon fits the constraints of a rotary-wing carriage and launch envelope.

The platform pairing with the AH-1Z is particularly noteworthy. The Viper remains one of the Marine Corps’ most important armed reconnaissance and close support assets, yet it operates under constraints that are well understood: limited speed compared to fixed-wing aircraft, vulnerability when forced to approach defended areas, and dependence on timely targeting data. A long-range precision munition effectively shifts the helicopter’s role from close-in shooter to distributed launch node, enabling it to remain behind terrain masking or outside the most dangerous engagement zones while still contributing meaningfully to deep fires.

L3Harris indicates Red Wolf was fielded through the Long-Range Advanced Missile program under the Defense Innovation Acceleration program, with an emphasis on validating requirements through operational demonstrations. That pathway matters because it reflects a broader US trend: compressing the distance between experimentation and acquisition, and selecting systems that already carry test hours and integration lessons rather than starting from a clean-sheet development cycle. In the current budget climate, programs that can demonstrate credible performance quickly tend to have an advantage, especially when they address a widely acknowledged operational gap.

From an engineering and employment perspective, the “launched effects vehicle” framing also signals modularity. While L3Harris does not provide a full public specification set in the release, the combination of long range, BLOS communications, and autonomous over-the-horizon engagement points to a munition designed for networked warfare rather than isolated strike. The operational effect is a longer, more resilient kill chain: the shooter can be separated from the sensor, and the munition can be guided toward a target area with updated information as the tactical picture evolves. This is particularly relevant in maritime littorals, where targets can move rapidly and where the time between detection and engagement is often the deciding variable.

Red Wolf could reshape how Marine aviation supports expeditionary operations. A 200 nautical mile reach gives AH-1Z formations the ability to contribute to sea denial, coastal defense suppression, and time-sensitive strikes without crossing the same threat thresholds that would apply to legacy short-range rockets or missiles. In a scenario involving layered surface-to-air missile coverage and persistent drone surveillance, the helicopter can remain dispersed, use stand-in sensors or external ISR feeds for targeting, and launch from unexpected azimuths. The BLOS link also opens the door to cooperative engagements where other nodes, including unmanned aircraft or surface elements, provide mid-course updates. Constraints remain real: weather, communications contestation, target identification rules, and the finite number of weapons a helicopter can carry will shape how much mass can be delivered. Still, the concept leans toward a more distributed, harder-to-predict strike architecture that suits modern littoral and island-chain operations.

Beyond the immediate Marine Corps use case, the program reflects a strategic adjustment in US and allied force planning. Recent conflicts have reinforced that mass-produced drones and attritable systems can impose disproportionate costs on defenders, and that expensive munitions inventories can be depleted faster than industrial bases can replenish them. A system positioned as a cost-effective alternative to high-end weapons aligns with a wider shift toward mixing premium effects with affordable volume, ensuring commanders can sustain operations over time rather than only delivering a short burst of capability. For NATO and Indo-Pacific partners watching US procurement choices, Red Wolf’s selection is also a signal: rotary-wing platforms are being treated as credible contributors to long-range precision strike, which complicates adversary planning and strengthens deterrence by widening the set of launch platforms and axes of attack.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay is a graduate of a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.