DataShapes AI has announced its role as the AI partner behind L3Harris’ newly unveiled Wraith Shield™ capability, a defense technology designed to transform tactical radios into AI-powered systems capable of detecting and disrupting drone threats in real time.
The collaboration introduces a new approach to tactical spectrum operations by enabling existing military communication hardware to function as distributed AI-enabled RF sensing networks without requiring cloud connectivity.
Traditionally used for battlefield communications, tactical radios are now being repositioned as intelligent sensing platforms capable of identifying and disrupting hostile drone activity directly at the tactical edge.
According to DataShapes AI and L3Harris, Wraith Shield™ transforms existing radio infrastructure into a distributed network of AI-enabled RF sensors capable of operating in disconnected and contested environments.
"Last week, L3Harris announced Wraith Shield™ — and we're proud to be the AI partner behind it," said Paul Craft, former US Army Chief of Cyber and EW, and President of DataShapes AI.
"This isn't an incremental improvement — it's a fundamental shift in how the RF spectrum is understood and acted on at the tactical edge."
The companies stated that the platform addresses the growing threat posed by low-cost, attritable drones capable of overwhelming traditional countermeasure systems.
The solution leverages DataShapes AI’s GlobalEdge™ platform to enable tactical radios to sense, classify, and provide real-time awareness of aerial threats without relying on centralized cloud infrastructure.
According to the companies, the platform enables real-time RF analysis directly on deployed hardware, reducing latency and operational dependency on external connectivity.
Paul Craft added: "Every forward-deployed unit now faces a new reality: low cost, attritable drones that can penetrate defenses and exhaust traditional countermeasures. The answer cannot be more hardware. It must be intelligence — delivered instantly, and at scale."
The platform is designed to allow soldiers and operators to identify drone threats and respond immediately using existing fielded communication systems.
L3Harris stated that Wraith Shield™ enables operators to directly disrupt hostile drone signals through their radios with minimal operational complexity.
"Wraith Shield™ is a prime example of how L3Harris continues to innovate as the Trusted Disruptor in the market," said Chris Aebli, President, Mission Critical Communications, L3Harris. "It enables operators to disrupt hostile drone signals directly from their radios. With the press of a button, personnel can neutralize attritable unmanned systems, causing them to drop from the sky."
The companies described the system as a shift toward distributed and adaptive spectrum operations capable of functioning in highly contested battlefield conditions.
DataShapes AI emphasized that the collaboration represents a broader transformation in military RF operations and edge intelligence deployment.
"The results of our collaboration with L3Harris represents a fundamental shift in spectrum operations," said Dr. Logan D. Selby, CEO and Cofounder of DataShapes AI. "We're transforming radios from communication tools into intelligent sensing systems—creating a distributed fabric that understands the environment and responds in real time."
The capability will initially be deployed on the RF-9820S Compact Team Radio, also known as the AN/PRC-171, and the RF-9820S-ER embeddable variant later this year.
L3Harris also confirmed that Wraith Shield™ will become available as a future software upgrade across Falcon IV tactical radio systems already fielded globally, including more than 100,000 deployed systems such as:
The launch reflects growing defense industry investment in edge-native AI systems capable of operating autonomously in disconnected and contested operational environments.
As military organizations increasingly prioritize real-time battlefield awareness, distributed sensing, and counter-drone capabilities, AI-powered RF sensing platforms are emerging as a key component of modern tactical operations.
Wraith Shield™ demonstrates how existing military hardware can be upgraded through software-defined AI capabilities rather than relying solely on new hardware deployments.
DataShapes AI builds edge-native AI for real-time spectrum awareness, enabling radios, sensors, and distributed systems to detect and learn from RF signals in contested and disconnected environments.
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