Land Forces 2026: Defendtex unveils latest Night Wraith loitering munition variant

Defendtex's latest variant of its Night Wraith loitering munition, unveiled at the Land Forces exhibition in Perth, Australia, in October 2026. (Andrew White)

Australian munitions specialist Defendtex unveiled the latest variant of its Night Wraith loitering munition at the Land Forces exhibition that took place in Perth, Australia from 6-8 October.

An initial version of the 70 mm rocket was unveiled by the company at the previous edition of Land Forces in Melbourne in 2024.

There, the ‘Snare' solution was presented as an upgraded 70 mm laser-guided rocket designed to conduct land-strike missions against armoured platforms at ranges of up to 50 km.

At Land Forces 2026, Defendtex presented to Janes the latest version of the laser-guided munition, which can still be used for land-strike missions as well as counter-UAS roles.

The munition is also being positioned as a more cost-effective solution compared with existing 70 mm guided rockets, including BAE Systems' Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS).

According to Travis Reddy, CEO at Defendtex, Night Wraith has been designed to be modular in nature, with the capacity to carry an unlimited number of in-line batteries to extend range and endurance.

He conceded, however, that doing so would require a larger wingspan depending on the number of batteries incorporated.

In its standard configuration, the Night Wraith rocket comprises an all-up weight of 10 kg, with the option of an additional 3.5 kg rocket booster for assisted launch.

It features a 4 kg warhead and typically offers a maximum range of 1,000 km, a cruising speed of 200 km/h, and a burst speed of 500 km/h. In its standard configuration, it measures 2.3 m in length and has a 2.5 m wingspan.