U.S. Marines' new drone killer gets confirmation from V2X

V2X confirmed on September 8, 2026, that it has been awarded a $19 million contract by the U.S. Marine Corps to deliver Tempest counter-drone vehicles, along with the maintenance, software and training needed to keep them running.

The announcement puts a public face on a deal the Pentagon had already disclosed. A contract notice dated August 11 identified the recipient as Vertex Modernization and Sustainment, an Indianapolis-based company operating as part of V2X, and put the value at roughly $19.06 million for 10 Tempest vehicles. Work under that award runs through August 10, 2027. V2X’s own release did not repeat the vehicle count, describing the deal only as an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, a structure that sets up a framework for future orders rather than locking in a fixed total.

Tempest is a lightweight, four-wheel-drive vehicle built on a modified Can-Am Maverick X3, a commercial off-road buggy fitted with dual missile launchers and a sensor package for spotting and tracking drones. It fires AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles, the radar-guided version of a weapon originally built for Apache attack helicopters, against what the military classifies as Class 2 and Class 3 unmanned aircraft, a category that spans small reconnaissance drones up to systems approaching the size of a light aircraft.

The vehicle already has a combat record. At least two Tempest units have operated in Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have credited the system with shooting down 21 Shahed drones, the Iranian-designed loitering munitions Russia has fired into Ukrainian cities by the hundreds.

“Unmanned aerial systems are fundamentally changing the modern battlefield, creating an urgent need for counter-UAS solutions that are mobile, effective, and ready to operate in demanding environments,” said Jeremy C. Wensinger, President and Chief Executive Officer of V2X. “Tempest demonstrates what V2X does exceptionally well: respond to an urgent customer need and rapidly take a capability from concept and integration through fielding and sustainment. By bringing together our engineering, technology integration, logistics, and mission expertise, we can move with speed to deliver mission-ready solutions that directly address emerging threats.”

V2X first showed Tempest publicly at the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference in October 2025, pitching it as a low-cost, easily repaired answer to small attack drones. The company says the vehicle’s commercially derived design keeps sustainment simple, since many parts can be sourced from civilian suppliers rather than specialized defense manufacturers.

Independent reporting takes resources. Join us on Patreon.