L3Harris at Eurosatory 2026: NOVA and Wraith Shield

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L3Harris attended Eurosatory 2026 with a product portfolio closely aligned with the demands of the contemporary battlefield: scalable, readily available night vision and affordable, distributed counter-drone capabilities. A worldwide leader in tactical communications and imaging systems, the company used the Paris defence and security exhibition to unveil NOVA, its new night vision binocular, alongside Wraith Shield, a software enhancement that turns Falcon IV family radios into elements of a portable, intelligent C-UAS system.

Zona Militar interviewed Kevin Steubing, Vice President of Sales and International Business, and Brenna Baker, President of Integrated Vision Solutions at L3Harris Technologies. They discussed the latest progress on the NOVA NVG, the Wraith Shield C-UAS capability, and the company’s expectations for Eurosatory 2026.

NOVA: Night vision binoculars for the entire force

NOVA is L3Harris’ newest night vision goggle and a commercial development derived from the company’s work on the U.S. Army’s BiNOD (Binocular Night Observation Device) programme. Its development started in 2021 with a defined aim: to replace older monocular systems with an affordable binocular platform suitable for widespread issue. In April 2026, the U.S. Army selected NOVA for the programme and granted L3Harris a production contract valued at up to US$465 million across seven years.

The NOVA design uses an integrated tube architecture, intended to make maintenance easier and prolong the system’s operational life. It incorporates high-gain, unfilmed Gen 3 image intensifier tubes, with anti-bloom functionality on lower-gain versions. Its housing complies with the IP68 immersion-protection standard, and the device automatically powers down when folded into either its monocular or binocular position.

NOVA design, operation and sustainment

Its binocular layout improves depth perception, allowing soldiers to move more efficiently across the battlefield. An integrated illuminator also supports threat detection in extremely low-light environments, while its lighter form reduces the load carried by personnel required to operate in the field for prolonged periods.

NOVA was additionally created to reduce maintenance and logistical requirements, with a configuration that can be adjusted to suit operational conditions during servicing. L3Harris has also streamlined various elements of the design, limiting the need for highly specialised personnel to perform maintenance work.

L3Harris presents NOVA as a complement to its more advanced systems-the GPNG, ENVG-B, and BNVD-which are allocated to special operations forces and units focused on direct-action missions. By adding NOVA to its portfolio, the company aims to serve the rest of the force structure: conventional soldiers, border patrol agents and tactical law-enforcement officers who do not currently have access to high-quality night vision equipment.

After delivering more than 20,000 ENVG-B systems to the U.S. Army, and with initial NOVA deliveries due in the fourth quarter of 2026, L3Harris is further reinforcing and broadening its standing as a leading provider of night vision systems to Western armed forces.

Wraith Shield: Tactical C-UAS protection

Wraith Shield is founded on a disruptive approach: converting Falcon IV family tactical radios-with more than 100,000 units fielded by the U.S. military, NATO, Five Eyes countries and allied forces-into nodes within a portable counter-UAS system, with no extra hardware required. The capability is enabled by a software update to the Wraith waveform, developed from 2022 to 2023 with considerable input from Ukraine.

Falcon IV radios as a distributed counter-UAS network

The system works in collaboration with DataShapes AI, whose GlobalEdge platform transforms radio-frequency (RF) data collected by the radios into real-time, actionable intelligence at the tactical edge, without depending on cloud servers or centralised processing. It functions as follows: the radio already scans the spectrum to detect other friendly radios operating on the Wraith waveform, then establishes a local ad hoc network. Wraith Shield introduces the capacity to recognise the signals adversaries employ to control drones, distributes those details throughout the local network, and coordinates every radio in that network to transmit white noise on the same frequency, interrupting the drone’s control connection.

The present Wraith Shield version can synchronise simultaneous jamming by up to 40 Falcon radios-sufficient to equip an infantry platoon-with plans to increase this to 100 radios through a future software update. Its first deployment platform is the compact RF-9820S (AN/PRC-171) radio, while an embedded variant for the RF-9820S-ER is scheduled for later in 2026. The system will also be offered as an upgrade for other Wraith-compatible radios, including the AN/PRC-158C, AN/PRC-163, and AN/PRC-167. Wraith Shield is intended to operate within a layered air-defence architecture: as it neutralises small drones using commercial command links, larger systems, including L3Harris’ own VAMPIRE and Drone Guardian, concentrate on larger and more sophisticated airborne threats.

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