Pentagon tests microwave drone swarm killer

The US military is testing microwave weapons to counteracting drone swarms.

Epirus, a military contractor, presents Leonidas high-powered microwave weapon in camp Atterbury. For two hours, the demonstration was watched by the US military and representatives of US allies in Pacific region. 

At the climax, the Leonidas system managed to neutralize 49 drones at once. According to Epirus CEO Andy Lowry, this technology will be used not only in the military, but also in stadiums, ports, and airports. 

Drones are now being used everywhere in various combat zones. In Russia’s criminal war against Ukraine drones have become one of the key elements of the both defense systems and offensive and counteroffensive actions, as well as strategic strikes on enemy rear areas. In the Red Sea, the houthis use unmanned boats and drones to attack cargo ships and Israel.

Iran is also attacking U.S. bases in the Middle East with drones. This worries American military strategists, as swarms of drones can easily attack US military bases in the Pacific and destroy strategic defenses in a matter of hours.

Existing ways to counteract drones are still not as effective, because missiles are too expensive to use against drones, and lasers can only track and hit one target at a time. Interceptor drones are also only able to monitor a limited number of targets. Even electronic warfare systems are no longer as effective as drones are able to operate autonomously without GPS or radio communications.

The innovative Leonidas system emits invisible energy waves, that damage the electronics inside drones. The controller experiences short circuit, the board burns out, and the drone fails. 

The installation consists of a metal plate the size of a garage door mounted on a trailer. Behind the panel are dozens of gallium nitride amplifiers. The software controls the antenna array, precisely shaping and directing the microwave beam. Instead of physically rotating the tower, the system can switch between targets or cover several at once. 

Engineers from the headquarters Epirus in Torrance, California, is testing the technology in cells with foam padding. They expose drones to electric current under controlled conditions. 

The Leonidas system is capable of covering a large area with a radius of about 60°, simultaneously hitting several drones at once. In 2023, the Pentagon signed a contract with Epirus for $66 million, and later — another $17 million. 

The Leonidas system is being tested at test sites, in particular, as part of training exercises in the Philippines. Senior U.S. Army officials are confident in the system’s prospects, but acknowledge that much remains to be done to integrate the weapon into broader defense systems that include sensors and kinetic means of destruction.

The U.S. Navy has also announced its own version of such a weapon. Epirus, as part of the Office of Naval Research, has developed ExDECS (Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter Swarm System), adapted for the Marine Corps and naval combat. 

A prototype delivered to the US Navy’s Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. It is being tested to counter various threats, from drones to surface ships packed with explosives. During the tests on the pier, engineers used microwaves to disable the outboard engines of unmanned boats, similar to those launched by the Houthis in the Red Sea.

Venture-backed companies such as Epirus and Anduril offer systems on a shorter timeframe, raising private capital to develop them and then seek contracts. Epirus has already raised half a billion dollars, including $250 million earlier this year, to prepare for large-scale production.

China also presented its own microwave weapon system called the Hurricane. As noted by Tyler Miller, the threat of drones is becoming similar to the threat of improvised explosive devices. Meanwhile, in the Epirus is working on smaller versions of the Leonidas that can be installed on Stryker infantry fighting vehicles, or even on the same drones. 

Source: ZME Science