Why One Pulse Does Not Break Every Drone Alike

Introduction

A high-power microwave pulse does not affect every drone in a swarm in the same way, even when all of them appear to be exposed to the same burst. One drone may fall from the sky immediately, another may reboot and recover, a third may lose its navigation system but continue flying, while a fourth may show little visible effect at all. This variation is not necessarily a sign that the weapon failed. It is a consequence of how microwave energy interacts with electronics, antennas, wiring, software, and physical orientation. Studies of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) susceptibility to strong electromagnetic fields consistently show that the outcome depends on which subsystem absorbs energy, how much energy reaches it, and how the drone is designed to respond when something goes wrong. [MDPI+2MDPI]mdpi.comStrong Electromagnetic Interference and Protection in UAVsby Z Zhang · 2024 · Cited by 65 — This paper aims to introduce the potentia…

Understanding these different failure modes is important for evaluating microwave-based swarm defence. A swarm that appears partly unaffected after a pulse may still have suffered widespread degradation, just not in a uniform or immediately visible way.

Electronics That Microwave Energy Can Disrupt

Microwave weapons are generally aimed at electronics rather than airframes. The pulse can induce unwanted voltages and currents inside a drone through antennas, cables, circuit traces, and other conductive paths. Research on UAV electromagnetic vulnerability identifies several particularly sensitive subsystems. [MDPI+2MDPI]mdpi.comStrong Electromagnetic Interference and Protection in UAVsby Z Zhang · 2024 · Cited by 65 — This paper aims to introduce the potentia…

These include:

The specific subsystem affected often determines the visible result. A disrupted radio link may trigger a return-to-home routine. A damaged GPS receiver may leave the drone flying but unable to navigate accurately. A flight-controller malfunction may cause immediate instability and loss of control. Damage to power electronics can produce a complete shutdown. [MDPI+2MDPI]mdpi.comInvestigation on Electromagnetic Immunity of Unmanned…by R Kubacki · 2025 · Cited by 2 — Microwave field incidents on a drone can…

This means that two drones receiving similar electromagnetic exposure can display very different behaviour simply because the energy couples into different components.

Why Identical Exposure Can Produce Different Outcomes

The phrase “identical exposure” is misleading. Even when drones occupy the same microwave beam, they rarely experience exactly the same electromagnetic conditions.

Orientation Changes What Receives Energy

Microwave energy enters a drone through coupling paths such as antennas and wiring. The effectiveness of that coupling depends strongly on orientation. A drone banking, climbing, or turning may present antennas, cables, or circuit assemblies to the incoming field in a different way than a neighbouring aircraft. Electromagnetic studies show that antenna orientation alone can significantly alter received signal strength and energy transfer. [arXiv]arxiv.orgImpact of 3D UWB Antenna Radiation Pattern on Air-to-Ground Drone ConnectivityOctober 2, 2018…Published: October 2, 2018

As a result, one drone may absorb enough energy to disrupt critical systems while another, only metres away, receives a much smaller effective dose.

Internal Design Differences Matter

Swarm members are not always electronically identical. Even drones built from the same commercial design may contain different component revisions, firmware versions, repair histories, or manufacturing tolerances.

Electromagnetic immunity research shows that susceptibility depends on detailed factors including circuit layout, shielding quality, grounding practices, and protective components. Small design differences can alter how induced currents travel through the vehicle. [MDPI+2MDPI]mdpi.comStrong Electromagnetic Interference and Protection in UAVsby Z Zhang · 2024 · Cited by 65 — This paper aims to introduce the potentia…

This creates a distribution of vulnerabilities rather than a single threshold. Instead of every drone failing at the same field strength, some fail earlier while others remain functional.

Frequency and Polarisation Effects

The effectiveness of microwave coupling depends not only on power but also on frequency, polarisation, modulation, and pulse characteristics. Research into UAV electromagnetic compatibility has found that these parameters influence which systems are affected and how severe the effects become. [Preprints]preprints.orgThe strong microwaves are investigated…Read more…

A pulse that strongly couples into a particular communications antenna may have a weaker effect on another subsystem. Consequently, drones with different antenna layouts or electronic architectures can respond differently within the same engagement.

Why Failure Often Appears Random

From the ground, microwave effects can look unpredictable. In reality, many apparently random outcomes follow understandable engineering pathways.

A drone may:

The visible behaviour depends not only on what was disrupted but also on the drone’s software. Modern flight-control systems often include fail-safe routines designed to cope with faults. One aircraft may land automatically after losing navigation, while another may hover, drift, or attempt to return to its launch point. The pulse may therefore expose differences in software resilience as much as differences in hardware vulnerability. [MDPI]mdpi.comStrong Electromagnetic Interference and Protection in UAVsby Z Zhang · 2024 · Cited by 65 — This paper aims to introduce the potentia…

This is one reason microwave engagements can produce mixed results within a swarm even when every aircraft is affected to some degree.

Shielding Does Not Create Equal Protection

A common assumption is that shielding either works or does not. In practice, shielding effectiveness varies widely.

Research on UAV protection against strong electromagnetic interference notes that antennas, wiring harnesses, cable penetrations, and sensor openings often become pathways through which energy reaches sensitive electronics. Even when a component is enclosed, attached conductors can carry unwanted energy inside. [MDPI+2radioeng.cz]mdpi.comStrong Electromagnetic Interference and Protection in UAVsby Z Zhang · 2024 · Cited by 65 — This paper aims to introduce the potentia…

Experimental work examining microwave effects on UAVs has identified cables and communication paths as important coupling routes. This means two drones with apparently similar protective measures may experience very different internal stress levels. [ResearchGate]researchgate.netInvestigation on Falling and Damage Mechanisms of UAV…13 Oct 2022 — Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), when illuminated by hig…

Shielding therefore tends to reduce vulnerability rather than eliminate it. The result is often a spectrum of outcomes rather than a clean division between protected and unprotected aircraft.

What Failure Variety Means for Swarm Defence

The differing responses of drones inside a single pulse create both advantages and challenges for defenders.

The advantage is that a microwave weapon does not need to achieve identical effects on every target to be useful. A swarm’s effectiveness depends on coordination, navigation, communication, and mass. If a pulse causes some drones to crash, others to lose navigation, and still others to drop out of formation, the overall swarm may become far less effective even if not every aircraft is destroyed. [GOV.UK+2Unmanned Airspace]gov.ukbritish soldiers take down drone swarm in groundbreaking use of radio wave weaponBritish soldiers take down drone swarm in groundbreaking …17 Apr 2025 — It uses high frequency radio waves to disrupt or damage critica…

The challenge is assessment. Operators cannot assume that every drone exposed to a pulse has been neutralised. Some may recover after a reboot. Others may continue operating with degraded capability. Public demonstrations of counter-drone microwave systems often emphasise large numbers of defeated drones, but the underlying reality is a complex distribution of electronic effects across the target population. [Tom's Hardware+2Epirus]tomshardware.comTom's Hardware High-power microwave system downs 49 drones in one shotelectronics warfare company, successfully demonstrated a major advancement in counter-drone technology with its Leonidas high-power micro…

For swarm defence, this means success is often measured less by whether every drone fails in the same way and more by whether enough of the swarm loses functionality to prevent it from completing its mission. The diversity of failure modes is therefore not a side effect of microwave engagement; it is one of its defining characteristics. [MDPI+2MDPI]mdpi.comStrong Electromagnetic Interference and Protection in UAVsby Z Zhang · 2024 · Cited by 65 — This paper aims to introduce the potentia…

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

Books and field guides related to Why One Pulse Does Not Break Every Drone Alike. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.

Book

Introduction to UAV Systems

By Paul G. Fahlstrom, Thomas J. Gleason

Describes the subsystems that may fail under electromagnetic stress.

See on Amazon

Book

Drone Warfare

By Medea Benjamin

Adds broader operational context for drone vulnerability discussions.

See on Amazon

Book

Electronic Warfare in the Information Age

By D., Curtis Schleher

First published 1999. Subjects: Electronics in military engineering, Information warfare.

See on Amazon

Book

Introduction to Directed Energy Weapons

By Warren C. Schultz

Provides background on mechanisms that produce varied outcomes.

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Browse more on Amazon: to UAV Systems books Drone Warfare Electronic Warfare in the Information Age

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Endnotes

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   Strong Electromagnetic Interference and Protection in UAVsby Z Zhang · 2024 · Cited by 65 — This paper aims to introduce the potentia...

2. Source: mdpi.com
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   Investigation on Electromagnetic Immunity of Unmanned...by R Kubacki · 2025 · Cited by 2 — Microwave field incidents on a drone can...

3. Source: researchgate.net
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4. Source: researchgate.net
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   Investigation on Effects of HPM Pulse on UAV's DatalinkUnmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is likely to be interfered by high-power...

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   The strong [microwaves]({{ 'microwaves/' | relative_url }}) are investigated...Read more...

6. Source: arxiv.org
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   Impact of 3D UWB Antenna Radiation Pattern on Air-to-Ground Drone ConnectivityOctober 2, 2018...

   Published: October 2, 2018

7. Source: preprints.org
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   Investigation on Electromagnetic Compatibility of...26 Sept 2025 — As drone electronics continue to integrate and develop, they are also...

8. Source: GOV.UK
   Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-soldiers-take-down-[drone-swarm
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   British soldiers take down drone swarm in groundbreaking...17 Apr 2025 — It uses high frequency radio waves to disrupt or damage critica...

9. Source: radioeng.cz
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   These tests...Read mo...

10. Source: researchgate.net
    Title: 350941439 High power microwave for knocking out programmable suicide drones
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    (PDF) High power microwave for knocking out...Apr 16, 2021 — This article aims to examine the directed energy of HPM (high power microwa...

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    (PDF) High-Power Microwave Energy as WeaponHigh Power Microwave technology has matured to the point where practical Elec-troMagnetic Puls...

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    A Multi-physics Simulation Framework for High-power...9 Feb 2026 — This paper presents a comprehensive multi-physics simulation framewor...

13. Source: youtube.com
    Title: [THOR]({{ ‘thor/’ | relative_url }}) (Tactical High-power Operational Responder) Destroys [Swarms]({{ ‘swarms/’ | relative_url }}) of Enemy Drones
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    Epirus Leonidas: High-Power Microwave for Counter-Electronics...

14. Source: youtube.com
    Title: Epirus Leonidas: High-Power Microwave for Counter-Electronics
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLA826fH4Vc
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    High power microwave weapon drone effects vulnerability electronics US-made Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone Swarm #airdefe...

15. Source: unmannedairspace.info
    Link: https://www.unmannedairspace.info/counter-uas-systems-and-policies/us-army-releases-video-animation-of-high-powered-microwave-technology-designed-to-counter-drone-swarms/
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    US Army releases video animation of high-powered...The system, which shoots high-powered microwaves at unmanned aircraft to disrupt thei...

16. 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-masse
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    electronics warfare company, successfully demonstrated a major advancement in counter-drone technology with its Leonidas high-power micro...

17. Source: epirusinc.com
    Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/electronic-warfare
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    Epirus Leonidas High-Power Microwave: Directed Energy...Leonidas is a solid-state, high-power HPM system, utilizing Gallium Nitride (GaN...

Additional References

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   High-power microwave system downs 49 drones in one shotIf you can destroy drones, aim a little bit lower and wipe out a neighborhood of e...

2. Source: facebook.com
   Title: russian media have reported on chinas high power microwave system hurricane 3000
   Link: https://www.facebook.com/ChinaGlobalTVNetwork/posts/russian-media-have-reported-on-chinas-high-power-microwave-system-hurricane-3000/1553287439498056/
   Source snippet

   Russian media have reported on China's high-power...Russian media have reported on China's high-power microwave system, Hurricane 3000...

3. Source: aspistrategist.org.au
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   Link: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/a-counter-to-drone-swarms-high-power-microwave-weapons/
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   A counter to drone swarms: high-power microwave weaponsMay 12, 2025 — HPM weapons work by emitting directed bursts of electromagnetic ene...

   Published: May 12, 2025

4. Source: facebook.com
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   Disable electronics inside drones 2. Affect multiple targets at once 3. Counter swarm...Read more...

5. Source: jpier.org
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   the electromagnetic field strength energy to damage the drone's...Read more...

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    When properly tuned, the pulse can...Read more...