Datashapes AI partners with L3Harris to provide AI-enabled Radios that can Sense and Respond to Drones

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DataShapes AI today announced its role as the AI partner behind Wraith Shield™, a breakthrough capability from L3Harris that turns tactical radios—long used solely for communications—into AI-powered systems capable of detecting and disrupting drone threats in real time—before they can impact the warfighter.

"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.

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.

Wraith Shield™ does exactly that. It transforms hundreds of thousands of tactical radios — including the AN/PRC-158C, 163, 167, and RF-9820S — into a distributed network of AI-enabled RF sensors, no cloud connectivity needed.

With DataShapes AI's GlobalEdge™ platform, those radios don't just communicate — they sense, classify, and deliver real-time awareness of what's flying overhead, directly to the Soldier. No cloud. No delay. No additional burden."

By turning existing radios into intelligent sensing nodes, the combined solution establishes a new model for spectrum operations — distributed, adaptive, and built for contested environments.

"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 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 Wraith Shield™ capability will be deployed on the RF-9820S Compact Team Radio – also known as the AN/PRC-171 – and its embeddable version, the RF-9820S-ER, later this year. It will also be available as a future software upgrade on all Falcon IV tactical radios – including the 100,000-plus systems fielded by militaries today, such as the AN/PRC-158C, AN/PRC-163 and AN/PRC-167.

Sense. Classify. Act. — at the edge, and on hardware already in the fight.

About DataShapes AI
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.

Contact:
Angela Fincham
800-319-6857

SOURCE DataShapes AI