The US Army invests $43 million in Leonidas microwave weapons to combat drones

 Leonidas HPM

The US army is betting on microwave weapons — and investing $43 million in them. Epirus has received a contract from the U.S. Army's Office of Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies (RCCTO) to supply two new second-generation Leonidas HPM systems that will be used to combat next-generation drones, especially so-called kamikaze drones and swarms of UAVs.

The Leonidas HPM (High-Power Microwave) system is a kind of super—powerful microwave that can destroy dozens of drones simultaneously by simply "burning out" their electronics with a powerful electromagnetic pulse. This is especially important now, when massive attacks using unmanned kamikaze aircraft are increasingly being used.

The head of Epirus said that the latest tests of the Gen II system were successful, and now there is a chance that the program will be officially launched and transferred from the experimental stage to combat readiness.

What is included in the contract?  

- Delivery of two new Leonidas systems of the second generation  

- Auxiliary equipment and spare parts  

- The possibility of further testing and modernization  

The US Army wants to test how effectively Leonidas copes with modern threats, especially those swarms of drones that can attack dozens of targets simultaneously. If everything goes well, such complexes may become part of a standard air defense system in the future.

Now, more and more countries and non—state groups are using cheap and effective drones for attacks, from single strikes to massive attacks. Traditional air defense systems do not always cope with this economically — in other words, it is unprofitable to shoot down a drone for $ 1,000 with a missile for $ 1 million.  

Leonidas is just the solution to this problem: one salvo — and immediately a dozen drones "die" from an overload of electronics. This is both cheaper and more effective, especially in the face of massive attacks.

The United States continues to actively invest in promising anti—drone technologies, and the Leonidas microwave weapon from Epirus is one of the most interesting candidates for the role of a new standard in air defense. If the tests show good results, then such systems may appear at the forefront in the coming years.