Within Electronics Risk
How Safe Is a Microwave Shot Near Aircraft?
Airbase defenders must know where aircraft, radios, vehicles and personnel are before firing a wide-area counter-drone system.
On this page
- What an exclusion zone has to protect
- Coordination with aircraft, radios and ground crews
- Abort criteria and sector controls
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
Airbases are among the most attractive locations for deploying high-power microwave (HPM) counter-drone weapons. They contain aircraft, fuel infrastructure and command facilities that are increasingly threatened by cheap drones and drone swarms. Yet airbases are also some of the most electronically crowded environments in the military. Aircraft avionics, navigation aids, air traffic systems, radios, maintenance equipment, vehicles and personnel may all be operating within a relatively small area. That combination creates a unique challenge: before firing a microwave-based counter-drone system, operators must know exactly what friendly assets are inside the weapon’s potential effect area.
The reason is straightforward. Unlike a narrowly focused weapon aimed at a single point, many HPM systems are designed to affect multiple electronic targets within a volume of space. Their value against drone swarms comes from this wider-area effect, but the same characteristic raises the possibility of unintended interference with friendly electronics if safety controls are not enforced. Government and defence assessments consistently note that high-power microwave systems can affect multiple targets at once and may influence assets within the engagement area regardless of whether they are friendly or hostile. [GAO]gao.govgao 23 106717Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — These weapons include high energy lasers and other high power electroma…
How Safe Is a Microwave Shot Near Aircraft?
Airbases concentrate expensive and highly sensitive electronics. Modern military aircraft depend on digital flight-control systems, navigation receivers, communication radios, mission computers, radar systems and electronic warfare equipment. Even when parked, aircraft may be connected to diagnostic tools, maintenance laptops and support equipment.
High-power microwave weapons work by coupling electromagnetic energy into electronic systems. The objective is to create disruptive currents or voltages inside the target’s electronics. The same basic mechanism that disables a drone can, in principle, affect other electronics exposed to sufficient energy. Outcomes may range from temporary disruption to more serious component damage depending on shielding, orientation, distance, frequency and system design. [DroneShield+2Electronics For You]droneshield.comA Counter to Drone Swarms: High-Power Microwave…HPM weapons work by emitting directed bursts of electromagnetic energy, dis…
This does not mean an airbase microwave shot automatically threatens every nearby aircraft. Military platforms are generally designed with some degree of electromagnetic protection. However, commanders cannot assume uniform resilience across all aircraft, support vehicles or temporary equipment. An exclusion zone exists precisely because actual vulnerability varies and because operational uncertainty is unavoidable during real-world engagements.
The issue becomes even more significant when aircraft are taxiing, landing, taking off or undergoing maintenance. A system that would be acceptable to fire over an empty section of an airfield may be inappropriate moments later when personnel, vehicles or aircraft move into the sector.
What an Exclusion Zone Has to Protect
An airbase microwave exclusion zone is more than a simple safety perimeter. It is a controlled volume of airspace and ground space designed to prevent friendly assets from being exposed during an engagement.
Typical protected categories include:
- Aircraft in flight, especially during take-off, landing or low-altitude operations.
- Parked aircraft, including those being fuelled, armed or serviced.
- Air traffic and airfield communications systems, which support flight safety.
- Ground vehicles, many of which now contain extensive digital electronics.
- Maintenance equipment, diagnostic systems and temporary electronic devices.
- Personnel carrying radios or specialised electronic equipment.
- Command-and-control nodes, whose communications are essential during an attack.
The requirement becomes particularly important because many modern counter-drone microwave systems are designed to cover a wider engagement area than a laser weapon. Systems such as THOR, Leonidas, CHIMERA and other HPM counter-UAS concepts have been developed specifically to engage multiple drones simultaneously rather than one target at a time. [Epirus+3Unmanned Airspace+3RTX]unmannedairspace.infoUnmanned AirspaceUSAF and Raytheon complete field testing of Chimera high…4 Feb 2024 — The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and…
An airbase therefore has to treat microwave firing sectors similarly to other controlled hazard areas. The concern is not only where the target drones are located, but also what friendly systems occupy the same electromagnetic battlespace.
Coordination With Aircraft, Radios and Ground Crews
Creating an exclusion zone is primarily a coordination problem rather than an engineering problem. Operators need a real-time picture of friendly activity before authorising a shot.
Aircraft Movement Control
Aircraft movements create the most obvious complication. A microwave engagement may need to be delayed if:
- An aircraft is approaching the runway.
- A helicopter is crossing the engagement sector.
- A maintenance tow is moving an aircraft into the hazard area.
- Emergency flight operations are underway.
For this reason, counter-drone operators must often coordinate with airfield operations centres and air traffic controllers before engaging.
Communications Management
Airbases depend heavily on radio communications. Ground crews, security forces, maintenance teams and flight operations personnel may all be transmitting simultaneously.
Because microwave systems operate within the broader radio-frequency environment, operators need procedures to ensure critical communications assets are not placed unnecessarily at risk. The exact restrictions vary by system and operating doctrine, but the principle is consistent: critical friendly communications should be known and accounted for before firing. Defence organisations developing HPM systems routinely emphasise operator control and integration into broader defensive networks rather than treating the weapon as a stand-alone device. [Epirus]epirusinc.comEpirusEpirus Leonidas High-Power Microwave: Directed Energy…Leonidas is a solid-state, high-power HPM system, utilizing Gallium Nitrid…
Ground Crew Awareness
Ground personnel can change the situation rapidly. Maintenance teams may move test equipment, connect aircraft to external power units or deploy temporary communications systems. An exclusion zone therefore has to be dynamic.
In practice, the microwave weapon team may need confirmation that designated sectors are clear before engagement authorisation is granted. This resembles the coordination used for runway operations or explosive ordnance activities, where changing ground conditions directly affect safety decisions.
Why Wide-Area Counter-Drone Weapons Increase the Need for Control
The strongest argument for exclusion zones comes from the same feature that makes HPM weapons attractive: area coverage.
Manufacturers and military developers frequently highlight the ability of microwave systems to engage many drones at once. Raytheon’s Phaser uses a broad electromagnetic effect against drone groups, while systems such as Leonidas, THOR and emerging British RF directed-energy demonstrators are specifically marketed for defeating swarms. [Wikipedia+3RTX+3Epirus]rtx.comPhaser High-Power Microwave System | RaytheonOperators focus a wide, arcing energy beam on drones that sends out a short, high power b…
That operational advantage changes the geometry of risk. A laser engagement generally focuses on a narrow line of sight to a specific target. A microwave engagement may intentionally cover a larger volume because the goal is to affect multiple drones simultaneously. Government assessments of directed-energy weapons note that high-power microwave systems can affect multiple targets because of their larger beam characteristics. [GAO]gao.govgao 23 106717Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — These weapons include high energy lasers and other high power electroma…
As a result, commanders must think beyond the drone being targeted. They must also consider aircraft parking areas, maintenance aprons, communications facilities and vehicle routes that may intersect the engagement sector.
Abort Criteria and Sector Controls
Because airbase conditions change rapidly, microwave engagements require predefined abort rules.
Common operational triggers for an abort or hold would include:
- Friendly aircraft entering the planned engagement sector.
- Loss of tracking confidence on the drone target.
- Unexpected vehicle movement into the hazard area.
- Personnel entering a designated exclusion zone.
- Communications failures between airfield control and the weapon team.
- Uncertainty regarding the location of critical friendly equipment.
Sector controls help enforce these decisions. Instead of treating the entire airbase as a single operating area, planners divide airspace and ground areas into sectors that can be individually cleared, restricted or opened. This approach allows a counter-drone system to engage threats in one direction while preserving normal activity elsewhere on the base.
The objective is not simply to prevent damage. It is to prevent uncertainty. If operators cannot confidently determine whether friendly aircraft, radios, vehicles or personnel are inside the potential effect area, the safest operational decision may be not to fire.
Why Exclusion Zones Are Central to Airbase Defence
The challenge of airbase microwave defence is that the protected asset and the collateral-risk environment occupy the same space. Counter-drone HPM weapons promise rapid, low-cost defence against large numbers of drones, and recent demonstrations have shown impressive swarm-defeat capability. [Epirus+2Unmanned Airspace]epirusinc.comEpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone…10 Sept 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49…
However, an airbase is also a dense concentration of friendly electronics. Exclusion zones exist because successful defence is not measured solely by stopping hostile drones. It is measured by stopping them while keeping aircraft flying, radios working, ground crews safe and airfield operations functioning. In practical terms, the exclusion zone is the mechanism that allows a wide-area microwave weapon to be used without turning friendly systems into unintended participants in the engagement. [GAO+2Office of Naval Research]gao.govgao 23 106717Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — These weapons include high energy lasers and other high power electroma…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to How Safe Is a Microwave Shot Near Aircraft?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
Introduction to Radar Systems
Helps readers understand aircraft sensors, RF environments, and electromagnetic interactions relevant to airbases.
The Pentagon's Brain
Explains the research ecosystem behind advanced military technologies including emerging weapons.
Introduction to Modern Ew Systems
First published 2012. Subjects: Electronics in military engineering, Electronic countermeasures, Contre-mesures électroniques, TECHNOLOGY...
Lasers, Death Rays, and the Long, Strange Quest for the Ultim...
First published 2019. Subjects: Military weapons, Laser weapons, History, Design and construction, Military.
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Example marketplace items related to this page. Use the search link to explore similar finds on eBay.
Endnotes
-
Source: gao.gov
Title: gao 23 106717
Link: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106717Source snippet
Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — These weapons include high energy lasers and other high power electroma...
Published: May 2023
-
Source: droneshield.com
Link: https://www.droneshield.com/blog/a-counter-to-drone-swarms-high-power-microwave-weaponsSource snippet
A Counter to Drone Swarms: High-Power Microwave...HPM weapons work by emitting directed bursts of electromagnetic energy, dis...
-
Source: rtx.com
Link: https://www.rtx.com/raytheon/what-we-do/integrated-air-and-missile-defense/phaser-high-power-microwaveSource snippet
Phaser High-Power Microwave System | RaytheonOperators focus a wide, arcing energy beam on drones that sends out a short, high power b...
-
Source: Wikipedia
Title: THOR (weapon)
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THOR_%28weapon%29 -
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Directed energy weapon
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directed-energy_weaponSource snippet
Directed-energy weaponA directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy without a s...
-
Source: gao.gov
Link: https://www.gao.gov/video/directed-energy-weapons-dod-should-focus-transition-planningSource snippet
targets at the speed of light over kinetic weapons, such as guns...
-
Source: onr.navy.mil
Link: https://www.onr.navy.mil/organization/departments/code-35/division-353/directed-energy-weapons-high-power-[microwavesSource snippet
Office of Naval ResearchDirected Energy Weapons: High Power MicrowavesDirected energy weapons (DEWs) are defined as electromagnetic syste...
-
Source: electronicsforu.com
Title: directed energy weapons high power microwaves
Link: https://www.electronicsforu.com/market-verticals/directed-energy-weapons-high-power-microwavesSource snippet
Electronics For YouDirected Energy Weapons: High Power Microwaves4 Oct 2016 — The weapon is designed to disrupt, degrade or destroy elect...
-
Source: unmannedairspace.info
Link: https://www.unmannedairspace.info/counter-uas-systems-and-policies/usaf-and-raytheon-complete-extensive-field-testing-of-chimera-high-power-microwave-system/Source snippet
Unmanned AirspaceUSAF and Raytheon complete field testing of Chimera high...4 Feb 2024 — The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and...
-
Source: epirusinc.com
Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/press-releases/epirus-leonidas-high-power-microwave-defeats-49-drone-swarm-100-of-drones-flown-at-live-fire-demonstrationSource snippet
EpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone...10 Sept 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49...
-
Source: epirusinc.com
Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/electronic-warfareSource snippet
EpirusEpirus Leonidas High-Power Microwave: Directed Energy...Leonidas is a solid-state, high-power HPM system, utilizing Gallium Nitrid...
Additional References
-
Source: asianmilitaryreview.com
Link: https://www.asianmilitaryreview.com/2025/03/atlas-high-power-microwave-device-advancing-rd-for-cost-effective-counter-drone-systems-nsbt/Source snippet
ATLA's High-Power Microwave Device: Advancing R&D for...10 Mar 2025 — JMOD views the HPM system, which uses high-powered microwaves to d...
-
Source: twz.com
Title: british high power microwave weapon successfully tested against drone swarms
Link: https://www.twz.com/news-features/british-high-power-microwave-weapon-successfully-tested-against-drone-swarmsSource snippet
The War ZoneBritish High-Power Microwave Weapon Successfully...17 Apr 2025 — The Radiofrequency Directed Energy Weapon demonstrator, or...
-
Source: jedonline.com
Title: high power microwave systems getting much much closer to operational status
Link: https://www.jedonline.com/2023/01/24/high-power-microwave-systems-getting-much-much-closer-to-operational-status/?print=printSource snippet
High-Power Microwave Systems – Getting (Much...24 Jan 2023 — Finally, AFRL is working with Raytheon to develop the Counter-Electronic Hi...
-
Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1toVupe_R8Source snippet
U.S. Directed Energy Weapons SystemsThe Government Accountability Office explains what are Directed Energy Weapons and takes a look at ho...
-
Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGzL3fZgPZY -
Source: tomshardware.com
Title: Tom’s Hardware High-power microwave system downs 49 drones in [one shot]({{ ‘one-shot/’ | relative_url }})
Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/high-power-microwave-system-downs-49-drones-in-one-shot-weaponized-electromagnetic-interference-erases-drone-swarms-en-masseSource snippet
electronics warfare company, successfully demonstrated a major advancement in counter-drone technology with its Leonidas high-power micro...
-
Source: phr.org
Title: health impacts of crowd control weapons directed energy devices
Link: https://phr.org/our-work/resources/health-impacts-of-crowd-control-weapons-directed-energy-devices/Source snippet
Health Impacts of Crowd-Control Weapons: Directed...28 Oct 2020 — This technology delivers very high-frequency millimeter-wavelength ele...
-
Source: coherentmarketinsights.com
Title: directed energy weapons in counter drone missile defense 3576
Link: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/blog/aerospace-and-defense/directed-energy-weapons-in-counter-drone-missile-defense-3576Source snippet
Directed Energy Weapons in CounterDrone Missile Defense4 May 2026 — These include energy beams like laser, microwave, or radio frequency...
Published: May 2026
-
Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/engineeringpost1/posts/military-researchers-in-the-united-states-are-developing-high-power-microwave-we/1554576976668583/Source snippet
eted burst of high-power microwave energy—no bullets, no missiles...Read more...
-
Source: inzpire.com
Title: high power microwaves more than just a hot lunch
Link: https://www.inzpire.com/news/high-power-microwaves-more-than-just-a-hot-lunchSource snippet
High power microwaves – more than just a hot lunch!3 Mar 2025 — Non-lethal effects: HPMs can disable enemy systems without causing direct...
Topic Tree