The US Navy has chosen L3Harris Technologies’ Red Wolf munition to significantly expand the strike range of the US Marine Corps’ AH-1Z Viper helicopters, addressing growing concerns over survivability in modern, high-threat battlefields. The selection supports the Marine Corps’ Precision Attack Strike Munition program, which aims to push rotary-wing operations far beyond current weapon limits.
The decision comes after a rigorous series of 52 successful flight tests, including recent live-fire demonstrations conducted at low altitude from an AH-1Z. The program is being executed through an Other Transaction Agreement, allowing the Navy to fast-track development and deployment while reducing traditional acquisition timelines.
Capable of flying more than 200 nautical miles and remaining airborne for over one hour, Red Wolf offers a dramatic leap in range compared to existing helicopter weapons. For context, the Hellfire missile reaches roughly 21 miles, while the JAGM’s range is even shorter. This extended reach allows attack helicopters to engage targets while remaining well outside enemy air defenses.
Beyond precision strikes, Red Wolf can perform electronic warfare, communications relay, decoy, and sensing missions, enabling coordinated multi-domain operations. L3Harris estimates the munition’s unit cost at approximately $300,000, with production scalable to 1,000 units per year, positioning it as a cost-effective solution to bolster long-range strike capacity ahead of follow-on attacks by weapons such as LRASM or the Joint Strike Missile.
