Within Wide Beams
What Leonidas Tests Really Show About Swarms
Public Leonidas demonstrations show how HPM systems are being presented as group-engagement weapons, while controlled tests still need careful interpretation.
On this page
- What the reported swarm demonstrations claimed
- Why controlled live fire tests have limits
- How demonstrations shape counter swarm expectations
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Introduction
Leonidas has become one of the most frequently cited examples of how a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon might defeat drone swarms through a single engagement rather than a sequence of one-on-one interceptions. Developed by Epirus, the system is often presented as evidence for the broader claim that microwave weapons can conduct “one-to-many” attacks against groups of drones. The most publicised demonstrations have shown dozens of drones being disabled in rapid succession, including claims that large portions of a swarm were defeated with a single microwave pulse. [Epirus]epirusinc.comTap to unmute.Read moreEpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone…Sep 10, 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49…
What makes Leonidas important is not merely the number of drones involved, but the way those tests are used to support a wider argument about future air defence. At the same time, public demonstrations are carefully designed events. They can reveal genuine capabilities while still leaving unanswered questions about performance under different conditions, ranges, formations and electronic environments. Understanding what the tests actually demonstrate is therefore essential before treating them as proof of unlimited counter-swarm effectiveness.
What the Reported Swarm Demonstrations Claimed
Leonidas was designed specifically around the challenge of defeating large numbers of small unmanned aircraft. Public descriptions of the system emphasise its ability to operate either in a focused mode against individual targets or in a broader-area mode intended to affect multiple drones simultaneously. Epirus has repeatedly highlighted this flexibility as a core advantage over weapons that engage one target at a time. [Wikipedia]WikipediaEpirus LeonidasEpirus Leonidas
The most widely discussed demonstration occurred at Camp Atterbury in Indiana in 2025. According to Epirus, Leonidas disabled 61 of 61 drones flown during a live-fire event that included several operational scenarios. The company stated that the final scenario involved a 49-drone swarm composed of two representative drone types and that the swarm was defeated with a single burst of electromagnetic interference. Military and government observers from multiple countries reportedly attended the event. [Epirus+2Unmanned Airspace]epirusinc.comTap to unmute.Read moreEpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone…Sep 10, 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49…
The demonstration was structured to showcase several different concepts rather than simply a mass kill. Public descriptions referenced:
- Multi-directional counter-swarm engagements.
- Selective engagement of chosen drones while leaving others unaffected.
- Controlled defeat of drones within predefined drop zones.
- One-to-many engagements against multiple simultaneous targets.
- A final large-swarm scenario involving dozens of drones. [youtube.com]youtube.comof air domain dominance in the drone age…
These demonstrations are important because they move beyond theoretical discussions of microwave effects. Instead of laboratory measurements or computer modelling, they provide visible evidence that an HPM system can disrupt large groups of airborne drones during an organised field trial. [Epirus]epirusinc.comTap to unmute.Read moreEpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone…Sep 10, 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49…
Why the One-to-Many Claim Matters
The phrase “one-to-many” is central to Leonidas marketing and to the broader military interest in microwave weapons. Conventional air-defence systems often consume one interceptor, one burst of ammunition or one laser engagement against one target. Drone swarms attempt to exploit that arithmetic by presenting many targets at once.
Leonidas is presented as reversing that equation. Rather than assigning a separate engagement to every drone, the weapon projects electromagnetic energy into a volume of space containing multiple aircraft. If several drones occupy that volume simultaneously and their electronics are vulnerable to the pulse, multiple vehicles can be disrupted during the same firing sequence. [Wikipedia]WikipediaEpirus LeonidasEpirus Leonidas
The reported 49-drone demonstration became significant precisely because it appeared to offer a visual illustration of this concept. The claim was not merely that 49 drones were eventually defeated, but that a large swarm could be affected through a single electromagnetic event rather than dozens of separate shots. [Epirus]epirusinc.comTap to unmute.Read moreEpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone…Sep 10, 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49…
From a military planning perspective, this distinction is critical. If a defender can truly engage a dense swarm as a collective target, the economics and tactics of drone defence change substantially. That possibility explains why Leonidas has attracted attention from the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and other defence organisations pursuing counter-swarm programmes. [Wikipedia+2DefenseScoop]WikipediaEpirus LeonidasEpirus Leonidas
Why Controlled Live-Fire Tests Have Limits
The public demonstrations are impressive, but they do not automatically answer every operational question.
First, demonstration swarms are controlled events. Organisers know the participating drone types, flight paths and safety requirements in advance. Real combat environments introduce unknown aircraft designs, varying electronics, unpredictable formations and competing electromagnetic activity. Public test results therefore show capability under a defined set of conditions rather than performance against every possible swarm. [Epirus]epirusinc.comTap to unmute.Read moreEpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone…Sep 10, 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49…
Second, the headline numbers can obscure important details. A claim that dozens of drones were defeated in one event does not necessarily mean every drone received identical effects. Some may have crashed immediately, others may have lost control links, and others may have suffered temporary disruption. Public summaries rarely provide the engineering-level breakdown needed to evaluate exactly how each target failed. [Epirus]epirusinc.comTap to unmute.Read moreEpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone…Sep 10, 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49…
Third, range, spacing and geometry matter. A dense formation presents a very different problem from a dispersed attack. A microwave weapon’s one-to-many advantage depends heavily on multiple targets occupying an area that can be illuminated effectively. Public demonstrations typically showcase conditions that highlight this strength. They reveal what the system can do, but not necessarily how performance changes as drones spread out, vary altitude or approach from multiple directions over larger distances. [Wikipedia]WikipediaEpirus LeonidasEpirus Leonidas
Finally, many technical details remain undisclosed. Defence companies generally do not release complete information about power levels, effective ranges, pulse characteristics, target vulnerabilities or failure thresholds. As a result, outside observers can verify that a demonstration occurred, but they cannot independently reconstruct every factor that contributed to the outcome. [Epirus]epirusinc.comEpirusEpirus - Home of Leonidas, the Premier High-Power…Epirus combines the latest in directed energy, long-pulse high-power microwave…
How Demonstrations Shape Counter-Swarm Expectations
Even with those limitations, Leonidas demonstrations have had a significant influence on how counter-swarm defence is discussed.
Before systems such as Leonidas received public attention, high-power microwave weapons were often described as promising concepts. Visible demonstrations shifted the conversation toward operational feasibility. Military procurement programmes increasingly discuss microwave systems as practical components of layered air-defence architectures rather than purely experimental technologies. [Wikipedia+2DefenseScoop]WikipediaEpirus LeonidasEpirus Leonidas
The demonstrations also help establish a benchmark for future claims. When a company publicly states that 61 drones were neutralised and that a 49-drone swarm was defeated in a single engagement, other developers of microwave systems are implicitly measured against similar standards. This has helped move the discussion from theoretical effects toward measurable counter-swarm performance. [Epirus]epirusinc.comTap to unmute.Read moreEpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone…Sep 10, 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49…
At the same time, the demonstrations may create expectations that exceed what has been publicly proven. A successful test against a specific swarm does not demonstrate guaranteed success against every swarm, every drone architecture or every battlefield environment. The most defensible conclusion is narrower: Leonidas has provided some of the strongest public evidence yet that a high-power microwave system can affect multiple drones during a single engagement and can do so at scales far beyond individual-target interception. Whether that scales reliably across all operational scenarios remains a question for continued military testing and field deployment. [Epirus+2The War Zone]epirusinc.comTap to unmute.Read moreEpirusEpirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Defeats 49-Drone…Sep 10, 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to What Leonidas Tests Really Show About Swarms. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
Drone Warfare
Supplies broader context for public interest in counter-drone technologies.
Introduction to UAV Systems
Helps readers evaluate how realistic swarm-test scenarios may be.
Electronic Warfare in the Information Age
First published 1999. Subjects: Electronics in military engineering, Information warfare.
Introduction to Directed Energy Weapons
Provides the technical foundation behind microwave counter-swarm demonstrations.
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Endnotes
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Epirus Leonidas
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epirus_Leonidas -
Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na0pGfopahMSource snippet
of air domain dominance in the drone age...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrkopSw5uasSource snippet
100% successful against drones flown...
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Source: defensescoop.com
Title: marines microwave weapon hpm epirus leonidas [expeditionary]({{ ‘marine-variant/’ | relative_url }})
Link: https://defensescoop.com/2024/09/23/marines-microwave-weapon-hpm-epirus-leonidas-expeditionary/Source snippet
Marines to get new drone-killing microwave weapon...23 Sept 2024 — The high-power microwave weapon prototype, known as Leonidas Expediti...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZIchtYzVtwSource snippet
% success rate in a stunning live test captured on video...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLA826fH4VcSource snippet
Epirus Leonidas: High-Power Microwave for Counter-ElectronicsEpirus' Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) family of systems features the l...
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Source: Wikipedia
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EpirusSource snippet
EpirusEpirus is a geographical and historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. Classical Epirus r...
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Source: newsflare.com
Title: In one
Link: https://www.newsflare.com/video/792400/jaw-dropping-new-weapon-knocks-dozens-of-attacking-drones-out-of-skySource snippet
Jaw-dropping new weapon knocks dozens of attacking drones...Californian company Epirus has carried out live-fire demonstrations of the s...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Epirus Leonidas HPM: The Premier [Counter-Drone]({{ ‘missile-savings/’ | relative_url }}) Swarm Solution
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAmSDdK57o0Source snippet
Epirus' Leonidas High-Power Microwave Neutralizes 61-of-61 Drones Across 5 Flight Scenarios...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfOAKxRKJrA -
Source: epirusinc.com
Title: Tap to unmute.Read more
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...Sep 10, 2025 — Leonidas neutralized 61-of-61 drones, culminating in a 49...
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Source: epirusinc.com
Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/electronic-warfareSource snippet
Epirus Leonidas High-Power MicrowaveLeonidas is a solid-state, high-power HPM system, utilizing Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductors for...
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Source: unmannedairspace.info
Title: epirus leonidas defeats 49 drone swarm with one electromagnetic burst
Link: https://www.unmannedairspace.info/counter-uas-systems-and-policies/epirus-leonidas-defeats-49-drone-swarm-with-one-electromagnetic-burst/Source snippet
Unmanned AirspaceEpirus' Leonidas defeats 49-drone swarm with one...2 Sept 2025 — Epirus has successfully demonstrated its Leonidas coun...
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Source: epirusinc.com
Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/Source snippet
EpirusEpirus - Home of Leonidas, the Premier High-Power...Epirus combines the latest in directed energy, long-pulse high-power microwave...
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Source: twz.com
Title: army puts 50m bet on next gen leonidas high power microwave counter drone tech
Link: https://www.twz.com/land/army-puts-50m-bet-on-next-gen-leonidas-high-power-microwave-counter-drone-techSource snippet
The War ZoneArmy Puts $43M Bet On Next Gen Leonidas High Power...17 Jul 2025 — Epirus' CEO says successful tests of the company's Gen II...
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Source: twz.com
Title: marines get their first high power microwave weapon for taking on drone swarms
Link: https://www.twz.com/land/marines-get-their-first-high-power-microwave-weapon-for-taking-on-drone-swarmsSource snippet
The War ZoneMarines Get Their First High Power Microwave Weapon...Apr 29, 2025 — Testing the ExDECS weapon will give the USMC a better i...
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Source: epirusinc.com
Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/press-releases/epirus-leonidas-demonstrates-successful-use-of-high-power-microwave-to-defeat-[fiber-opticSource snippet
Epirus' Leonidas Demonstrates Successful Use of High-...13 Jan 2026 — Leonidas is the first EW-based counter-UAS technology to demonstra...
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Source: axios.com
Title: epirus indiana drone swarm demo leonidas
Link: https://www.axios.com/2025/08/28/epirus-indiana-drone-swarm-demo-leonidasSource snippet
Exclusive: Electromagnetic weapon zaps drone swarm in seconds. Colin Demarest. email (opens in new window). sms...Read more...
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Source: inss.org.il
Title: innovative systems for neutralizing drone and uav swarms
Link: https://www.inss.org.il/social_media/innovative-systems-for-neutralizing-drone-and-uav-swarms/Source snippet
Epirus released new documentation showing that its Leonidas system successfully intercepted a swarm of 49 drones simultaneously. The...R...
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Source: linkedin.com
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/epirus_epirus-leonidas-high-power-microwave-defeats-activity-7371575751776608256-i0zZSource snippet
tic interference. “We believe showcasing our weaponized...
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Source: thomasnet.com
Title: epirus gdls leonidas autonomous robotic platform
Link: https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/epirus-gdls-leonidas-autonomous-robotic-platform/Source snippet
New Leonidas Autonomous Robotic Blasts Drones with...Oct 13, 2025 — Epirus and General Dynamics Land Systems unveiled the Leonidas AR au...
Additional References
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Source: electronics360.globalspec.com
Link: https://electronics360.globalspec.com/article/23569/us-reveals-new-self-driving-microwave-weapon-capable-of-taking-down-entire-drone-swarmsSource snippet
reveals new self-driving microwave weapon capable of...Apr 27, 2026 — The Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV) is a self-driving cou...
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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...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/DefenseNews/posts/the-epirus-leonidas-high-power-microwave-weapon-uses-energy-blasts-to-fry-drones/665536468941749/Source snippet
e weapon successfully neutralized all 61 drones launched during...Read more...
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Source: army-technology.com
Title: leonidas high power microwave hpm system usa
Link: https://www.army-technology.com/projects/leonidas-high-power-microwave-hpm-system-usa/Source snippet
Leonidas High-Power Microwave System, US9 Aug 2024 — Leonidas is a high-power microwave (HPM) technology-based directed energy weapon sys...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/1h3dyft/[strykerSource snippet
he electronics of an entire drone swarm in SHORAD distance.Read more...
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