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Why Swarm Defense Often Needs Both Weapons

A layered defense can use microwaves to thin dense groups before lasers handle surviving drones that need precise defeat.

On this page

  • Microwaves as the first thinning layer
  • Lasers for stragglers and priority targets
  • Where interceptors still fit
Preview for Why Swarm Defense Often Needs Both Weapons

Introduction

A growing lesson from counter-drone development is that neither high-power microwaves nor high-energy lasers solve the swarm problem alone. Microwaves are attractive because a single pulse can affect multiple drones within a beam footprint, making them useful against dense groups. Lasers, by contrast, provide precise and controllable defeat of individual aircraft. As a result, many emerging concepts of operation place microwave systems at the front of the engagement sequence and lasers behind them, creating a layered defence that first reduces the size of the swarm and then eliminates surviving threats one by one. This approach aims to maximise defensive capacity while reducing the risk that a large number of inexpensive drones can overwhelm a single weapon type. Air Force Research Laboratory+2Air Force Research Laboratory [afrl.af.mil]afrl.af.milAir Force Research Laboratory AFRL conducts swarm technology demonstrationAir Force Research LaboratoryAFRL conducts swarm technology demonstrationMay 16, 2023 — “THOR was exceptionally effective at disabling th…Published: May 16, 2023

Layered Defense illustration 1

Microwaves as the First Thinning Layer

The first challenge in a swarm attack is volume. A defender may have only seconds to deal with dozens of incoming drones. In that situation, engaging each aircraft individually can become a capacity problem rather than a lethality problem.

High-power microwave (HPM) systems are designed to address that initial saturation phase. Instead of physically burning through an airframe, they attempt to disrupt or damage electronic components across a wider area. AFRL’s THOR programme was developed specifically for this mission, with officials describing its ability to disable drone swarms through a wide beam, high peak power, and rapid retargeting. The system has been repeatedly characterised as a weapon engineered to counter multiple drones simultaneously rather than a single target at a time. Air Force Research Laboratory+2Air Force Research Laboratory [afrl.af.mil]afrl.af.milAir Force Research Laboratory AFRL conducts swarm technology demonstrationAir Force Research LaboratoryAFRL conducts swarm technology demonstrationMay 16, 2023 — “THOR was exceptionally effective at disabling th…Published: May 16, 2023

In a layered sequence, the microwave layer typically performs three functions:

  • Reduce swarm density by affecting multiple drones during the initial approach.
  • Disrupt coordination among surviving drones by damaging electronics or onboard systems.
  • Buy time for downstream defensive layers by shrinking the number of active threats that must be tracked individually.

This “one-to-many” engagement logic is a central reason why military organisations continue investing in systems such as THOR, Mjölnir, and Leonidas. Their value is not necessarily that every drone will be disabled, but that a large swarm can be transformed into a smaller and more manageable engagement problem. Air Force Research Laboratory+2Air Force Research Laboratory [afresearchlab.com]afresearchlab.comA target is identified, the silent weapon discharges in a nanosecond and the impact…Read more…

An important practical point is that microwave effects are not always uniform. Drone design, shielding, orientation, and electronic architecture can influence susceptibility. For that reason, planners generally avoid assuming a microwave layer will achieve a perfect kill rate against every platform in a swarm. The surviving fraction is exactly why additional layers remain necessary. [RAND Corporation]rand.orgRAND CorporationOpportunities and challenges for integrating DEWs into…December 4, 2025 — 8 Dec 2025 — integrating DEWs into Ukraine's…Published: December 4, 2025

AFRL's THOR Tracks and Disables Drone Swarm

Channel: AFResearchLab

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Lasers for Stragglers and Priority Targets

Once the microwave layer has reduced the number of active drones, the engagement changes from a mass-target problem into a discrimination problem.

Lasers are well suited to this second stage because they can focus energy precisely onto selected targets. Rather than affecting a broad area, they allow operators to prioritise specific drones based on threat level, location, payload, or proximity to defended assets. A surviving command drone, reconnaissance platform, or aircraft that appears resistant to microwave effects can be singled out for engagement. [Tom's Hardware]tomshardware.comThe high-energy laser, developed through a collaboration of government, military, scientific, and commercial sectors, is intended to bols…

The laser layer offers several advantages after microwave thinning:

  • Selective engagement of the most dangerous remaining drones.
  • Predictable physical defeat, including damage to sensors, propulsion systems, or structures.
  • Reduced engagement burden, because the number of surviving targets is lower than at the start of the attack.
  • Lower risk of wasting dwell time, since operators are no longer attempting to process the entire swarm sequentially.

The sequence matters. A laser forced to confront dozens of incoming drones may struggle to maintain enough engagement opportunities before the swarm closes range. The same laser operating after a microwave pulse may only need to defeat a handful of residual threats. The overall defensive capacity therefore becomes greater than the simple sum of the two weapons operating independently. [Wikipedia+2The War Zone]WikipediaTHOR (weaponTHOR (weapon

This logic mirrors broader air-defence thinking. The objective is not necessarily to destroy every threat with the first weapon fired, but to pass a progressively smaller and less dangerous set of targets to the next layer.

Layered Defense illustration 2

Why the Sequence Improves Swarm Defence Capacity

The value of a layered microwave-laser sequence is easiest to understand as a queue-management problem.

Imagine a swarm of many drones approaching a defended base. If only a laser is available, every target enters the engagement queue individually. If a microwave system first affects a significant portion of that group, the queue shrinks before laser engagements begin.

Several operational benefits emerge:

Higher effective magazine depth. Directed-energy weapons do not rely on conventional ammunition in the way missiles or gun systems do, but they are still constrained by power generation, cooling, tracking capacity, and engagement time. Reducing target numbers early effectively extends the useful capacity of downstream systems. [DroneShield]droneshield.comA Counter to Drone Swarms: High-Power Microwave…Military forces must prioritise a counter to drone swarming tactics with wh…

Better allocation of precision weapons. A laser can concentrate on drones that remain operational after microwave exposure rather than spending time on targets that could have been neutralised by area effects. [Epirus]epirusinc.comEpirusEpirus - Home of Leonidas, the Premier High-Power…Leonidas, the Premier High-Power Microwave cUAS Swarm Solution provide layered…

Improved resilience against mixed swarms. Not every drone in a swarm will have identical vulnerabilities. A layered architecture provides multiple defeat mechanisms, reducing reliance on a single effect. [RAND Corporation]rand.orgRAND CorporationOpportunities and challenges for integrating DEWs into…December 4, 2025 — 8 Dec 2025 — integrating DEWs into Ukraine's…Published: December 4, 2025

Recent demonstrations have reinforced interest in this approach. THOR’s swarm trials highlighted the utility of wide-area microwave effects against multiple drones, while newer Leonidas developments continue to emphasise counter-swarm operations within broader layered air-defence architectures. Air Force Research Laboratory+2Air & Space Forces Magazine [afrl.af.mil]afrl.af.milAir Force Research Laboratory AFRL conducts swarm technology demonstrationAir Force Research LaboratoryAFRL conducts swarm technology demonstrationMay 16, 2023 — “THOR was exceptionally effective at disabling th…Published: May 16, 2023

Microwave Weapon That Can Destroy Drone Swarms Without Explosions | WION Podcast

Channel: WION

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A First for Layered Laser Defense

Channel: Lockheed Martin

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Where Interceptors Still Fit

Even when microwaves and lasers are combined, most defence planners do not view them as complete replacements for conventional interceptors.

Several situations still favour missiles, guns, or other hard-kill systems:

  • Targets beyond the effective range of directed-energy weapons.
  • Adverse weather or atmospheric conditions that may degrade laser performance.
  • Large drones or aircraft that survive electronic attack.
  • Situations requiring immediate physical destruction rather than electronic disruption.

For this reason, modern short-range air-defence concepts increasingly resemble layered stacks rather than single-weapon solutions. Microwaves address dense formations, lasers handle surviving drones requiring precision defeat, and conventional interceptors remain available for difficult or high-consequence targets. Companies developing microwave systems now routinely describe them as part of a layered short-range air-defence architecture rather than a standalone answer to all aerial threats. [Epirus+2DroneShield]epirusinc.comEpirusEpirus - Home of Leonidas, the Premier High-Power…Leonidas, the Premier High-Power Microwave cUAS Swarm Solution provide layered…

The central implementation lesson is straightforward: swarm defence is fundamentally a capacity challenge. Microwaves help reduce the number of attackers at once, lasers provide precise follow-up engagements, and conventional interceptors cover situations where directed-energy effects are insufficient. The layered sequence works because each weapon is assigned the phase of the engagement where its strengths are greatest. Air Force Research Laboratory+2Air Force Research Laboratory [afrl.af.mil]afrl.af.milAir Force Research Laboratory AFRL conducts swarm technology demonstrationAir Force Research LaboratoryAFRL conducts swarm technology demonstrationMay 16, 2023 — “THOR was exceptionally effective at disabling th…Published: May 16, 2023

Layered Defense illustration 3

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

Books and field guides related to Why Swarm Defense Often Needs Both Weapons. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.

BookCover for Army of None

Army of None

By Paul Scharre

Provides the broader military-technology context behind drone swarms, autonomous systems, and why layered countermeasures are becoming im...

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BookCover for Wired for war

Wired for war

By Unknown author

Covers battlefield robotics and unmanned systems, giving readers useful background for understanding drone swarms and counter-drone weapons.

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BookCover for The Kill Chain

The Kill Chain

By Christian Brose

Explains the shift toward networked, high-speed, technology-driven warfare where drones, sensors, and layered defenses matter.

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Browse more on Amazon: Army of None Wired for war The Kill Chain

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Endnotes

  1. Source: rand.org
    Link: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA3800/RRA3833-7/RAND_RRA3833-7.pdf
    Source snippet

    RAND CorporationOpportunities and challenges for integrating DEWs into...December 4, 2025 — 8 Dec 2025 — integrating DEWs into Ukraine's...

    Published: December 4, 2025

  2. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: THOR (weapon)
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THOR_%28weapon%29

  3. Source: droneshield.com
    Link: https://www.droneshield.com/blog/a-counter-to-drone-swarms-high-power-microwave-weapons
    Source snippet

    A Counter to Drone Swarms: High-Power Microwave...Military forces must prioritise a counter to drone swarming tactics with wh...

  4. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Epirus Leonidas
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epirus_Leonidas
    Source snippet

    Epirus LeonidasThe Leonidas is a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon developed to disable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms. founded...

  5. Source: afrl.af.mil
    Title: Air Force Research Laboratory AFRL conducts swarm technology demonstration
    Link: https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3396995/afrl-conducts-swarm-technology-demonstration/
    Source snippet

    Air Force Research LaboratoryAFRL conducts swarm technology demonstrationMay 16, 2023 — “THOR was exceptionally effective at disabling th...

    Published: May 16, 2023

  6. Source: afrl.af.mil
    Title: army partners with air forces thor for base defense
    Link: https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article/2512426/army-partners-with-air-forces-thor-for-base-defense/
    Source snippet

    Air Force Research LaboratoryArmy partners with Air Force's THOR for base defenseFeb 23, 2021 — THOR is a prototype directed energy weapo...

  7. Source: epirusinc.com
    Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/
    Source snippet

    EpirusEpirus - Home of Leonidas, the Premier High-Power...Leonidas, the Premier High-Power Microwave cUAS Swarm Solution provide layered...

  8. Source: afrl.af.mil
    Title: enemy drone operators may soon face the power of thor
    Link: https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2339175/enemy-drone-operators-may-soon-face-the-power-of-thor/
    Source snippet

    Air Force Research LaboratoryEnemy drone operators may soon face the power of THORSep 24, 2019 — “THOR is essentially a high-powered elec...

  9. Source: afresearchlab.com
    Link: https://afresearchlab.com/counter-swarm-high-power-weapon/
    Source snippet

    A target is identified, the silent weapon discharges in a nanosecond and the impact...Read more...

  10. Source: afrl.af.mil
    Title: rl awards contract for drone killer mjlnir brings new drone hammer to the fig
    Link: https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article/2945744/afrl-awards-contract-for-drone-killer-mjlnir-brings-new-drone-hammer-to-the-fig/
    Source snippet

    Air Force Research LaboratoryAFRL awards contract for drone killer, Mjölnir; brings new...Feb 25, 2022 — The Air Force Research Laborato...

  11. Source: tomshardware.com
    Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/100kw-iron-beam-laser-becomes-worlds-first-drone-defense-zapper-to-be-operationally-deployed-it-can-also-shoot-down-rockets-mortars-and-other-aerial-threats
    Source snippet

    The high-energy laser, developed through a collaboration of government, military, scientific, and commercial sectors, is intended to bols...

  12. Source: twz.com
    Link: https://www.twz.com/land/marines-get-their-first-high-power-microwave-weapon-for-taking-on-drone-swarms
    Source snippet

    The War ZoneMarines Get Their First High Power Microwave Weapon...29 Apr 2025 — A wide beam means HPM weapons have greater potential to...

  13. Source: airandspaceforces.com
    Title: Air & Space Forces Magazine THOR Hammers [Drone Swarm]({{ ‘swarm-limits/’ | relative_url }}) with High-Power Microwaves
    Link: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-forces-thor-drone-swarm-demo/
    Source snippet

    Air & Space Forces MagazineTHOR Hammers Drone Swarm with High-Power MicrowavesMay 19, 2023 — The Air Force Research Laboratory's directed...

    Published: May 19, 2023

  14. Source: afrl.af.mil
    Link: https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Video/?dvpTag=Thor&dvpmoduleid=69743
    Source snippet

    Force Research Laboratory VideoTactical, High-power, Operational Responder, known as THOR, is a high-power microwave counter-drone weapon...

  15. Source: afrl.af.mil
    Link: https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2003223867/
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    High-power Operational ResponderA high-powered microwave counter drone weapon, stands ready to demonstrate its effectiveness against a sw...

  16. Source: dvidshub.net
    Link: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/904340/thor-tactical-high-power-operational-responder
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    Thor - Tactical High-power Operational ResponderTHOR is a high power microwave counter-drone weapon that the Air Force Research Lab has d...

  17. Source: calibredefence.co.uk
    Title: epirus zaps fibre optic fpv with leonidas microwave weapon
    Link: https://www.calibredefence.co.uk/epirus-zaps-fibre-optic-fpv-with-leonidas-microwave-weapon/
    Source snippet

    Epirus zaps fibre-optic FPV with Leonidas microwave...28 Jan 2026 — Epirus has developed a microwave weapon called Leonidas that has dem...

Additional References

  1. Source: facebook.com
    Link: https://www.facebook.com/AFResearchLab/videos/afrls-tactical-high-power-operational-responder-or-thor-system-%EF%B8%8F-is-swarming-int/1138955837220051/

  2. Source: youtube.com
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pwv1BOuqN4
    Source snippet

    AFRL's THOR Tracks and Disables Drone SwarmTactical, High-power, Operational Responder, known as THOR, is a high-power microwave counter...

  3. Source: realcleardefense.com
    Title: a counter to drone swarms high power microwave weapons 1109557
    Link: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/05/12/a_counter_to_drone_swarms_high-power_microwave_weapons_1109557.html
    Source snippet

    A Counter to Drone Swarms: High-Power Microwave...12 May 2025 — Military forces must prioritise a counter to drone swarming tactics with...

    Published: May 2025

  4. Source: twz.com
    Title: THO R Microwave Anti-Drone System Downs Swarms In Test
    Link: https://www.twz.com/thor-microwave-anti-drone-system-downs-swarms-in-test
    Source snippet

    THOR Microwave Anti-Drone System Downs Swarms In TestMay 19, 2023 — A high-power microwave counter-drone system, the containerized THOR i...

    Published: May 19, 2023

  5. Source: potomacofficersclub.com
    Title: AFR L Demonstrates Microwave-Powered Defense System
    Link: https://www.potomacofficersclub.com/afrl-demonstrates-microwave-powered-defense-system-against-drone-swarms/
    Source snippet

    AFRL Demonstrates Microwave-Powered Defense System...May 23, 2023 — The Air Force Research Laboratory recently demonstrated the Tactical...

    Published: May 23, 2023

  6. Source: airuniversity.af.edu
    Title: army partners with air forces thor for base defense
    Link: https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/News/Display/Article/2511792/army-partners-with-air-forces-thor-for-base-defense/
    Source snippet

    partners with Air Force's THOR for base defenseFeb 23, 2021 — THOR is a prototype directed energy weapon used to disable the electronics...

  7. Source: reddit.com
    Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/1h3dyft/[stryker
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    he electronics of an entire drone swarm in SHORAD distance.Read more...

  8. Source: reddit.com
    Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/STEW_ScTecEngWorld/comments/1m2npg2/meet_the_microwave_weapon_that_zaps_swarms_of/
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    bullets or lasers, and the Pentagon is paying attention...

  9. Source: defencefinancemonitor.com
    Title: non kinetic counter uas with high
    Link: https://www.defencefinancemonitor.com/p/non-kinetic-counter-uas-with-high
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    Non-Kinetic Counter-UAS with High Power Microwave8 Dec 2025 — The report provides a detailed, system-level examination of high-power micr...

  10. Source: thalesgroup.com
    Title: The High-Power
    Link: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/solutions-catalogue/defence/thundershieldtm-high-power-microwave-electromagnetic-neutralisation
    Source snippet

    ThunderShield™ - High-Power Microwave Electromagnetic...The ThunderShield™ effector is a Direct Energy Weapon that generates a short, po...

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