The US Marine Corps has fired a new long-range munition designed to extend the reach of its attack helicopters in the latest test.
The US Marine Corps has fired a new long-range munition designed to extend the reach of its attack helicopters in the latest low-altitude test.The test, conducted over the Atlantic Test Range, involved L3Harris Technologies’ new Red Wolf launch-effect vehicle fired from an AH-1Z Viper helicopter.
The munition successfully engaged a sea-based target, marking a key milestone in the Marine Corps’ Long Range Attack Missile, or LRAM, capability demonstration, the service and the company said.New long-range helicopter munitionThe LRAM effort aims to give Marine rotary-wing aircraft the ability to strike targets at far greater distances than current weapons allow. Existing helicopter-launched munitions, such as the AGM-114 Hellfire and the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile–Medium Range, have effective ranges of roughly 21 miles and 10 miles , respectively. Red Wolf is intended to push well beyond those limits, allowing aircrews to operate outside enemy air-defense envelopes.During the test, Red Wolf also demonstrated its ability to serve as a targeting and networking node, underscoring its role as more than a traditional “fire-and-forget” weapon.Officials said the munition can collect, relay, and share targeting data while in flight, supporting follow-on attacks by other platforms.The event also marked the first time a Marine Corps rotary-wing aircraft employed a weapon system controlled through a tablet-based interface, highlighting efforts to simplify operations and reduce cockpit workload.Hits 10× farther than Hellfire “This test validated Red Wolf’s advanced tracking and targeting capabilities and further demonstrated its ease of use and integration across platforms,” said Ed Zoiss, president of L3Harris’ Space and Airborne Systems division. “We’ve now proven our launched-effects vehicles will help provide warfighters an asymmetric advantage without requiring them to enter adversary weapon engagement zones.”Red Wolf is part of a broader family of “launched effects,” a Pentagon concept focused on affordable, flexible systems capable of performing multiple missions. In addition to precision strike, Red Wolf can be configured for non-kinetic roles such as communications relay, signal detection, electronic attack, and decoy operations.The turbojet-powered vehicle measures about 6 feet in length and features fold-out fins for stability and control. It can carry payloads weighing up to 25 pounds . L3Harris says the system flies at subsonic speeds and has a range of more than 200 nautical miles at low altitude. Its endurance exceeds 60 minutes.That reach allows Red Wolf to operate beyond the engagement zones of modern ship-based surface-to-air missile systems and coastal anti-access and area-denial networks. These capabilities are central to the military strategies of both China and Russia.Built for the Pacific WarIn a potential Pacific conflict, Red Wolf could be used to temporarily disrupt a warship’s sensors or communications, creating an opening for follow-on strikes by larger and more expensive weapons such as the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile or the Joint Strike Missile.The system has been flight-tested more than 40 times since 2020 from a range of platforms, including crewed and uncrewed fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and ground launchers, according to the company. That testing record suggests a relatively high level of technical maturity compared with many emerging Pentagon programs.With an estimated unit cost of about $300,000, L3Harris aims to achieve production rates of up to 1,000 units per year. The price point is significantly lower than that of long-range cruise missiles, which can cost several million dollars each.Red Wolf is expected to be ready for initial operational fielding in 2026, according to industry reporting, as the Marine Corps and the Pentagon look to expand their inventories of affordable, long-range strike and sensing systems for a potential high-end conflict.
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