Within Friendly Drones
Can Defence Shots Blind Their Own Force?
Reconnaissance drones may be too useful to withdraw, yet too exposed to survive a wide-beam microwave shot nearby.
On this page
- Why reconnaissance drones stay in risky airspace
- What disruption means for sensors and data links
- How losing surveillance can change the tactical result
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Introduction
Friendly reconnaissance drones are often the systems a commander can least afford to lose during a drone attack. They provide live video, target tracking, battle-damage assessment, and communications relay functions at exactly the moment when hostile unmanned aircraft are threatening a force. Yet these same reconnaissance platforms can become some of the most vulnerable assets when a high-power microwave (HPM) defence system is activated. The central problem is that microwave weapons are designed to affect electronics across a volume of airspace rather than a single precisely selected aircraft. As a result, a defensive shot aimed at hostile drones can also expose friendly surveillance drones operating nearby to the same electromagnetic effects. Government assessments and defence research repeatedly identify this “friend or foe” challenge as one of the key operational limitations of microwave-based counter-drone defence.[GAO+2Office of Naval Research]gao.govgao 23 106717Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — These weapons use electromagnetic energy to cause effects ranging from…
Can Defence Shots Blind Their Own Force?
High-power microwave weapons are attractive because they can engage many drones simultaneously. Unlike a laser, which normally concentrates energy on a specific target, an HPM system can project electromagnetic energy across a wider engagement zone. The same characteristic that makes such weapons effective against swarms also creates a risk for friendly unmanned aircraft sharing the airspace.[Office of Naval Research+2RAND Corporation]navy.milOffice of Naval Research Directed Energy Weapons: High Power Microwaves HPM weapons create beams of electromagnetic energy over a broad sOffice of Naval ResearchDirected Energy Weapons: High Power MicrowavesHPM weapons create beams of electromagnetic energy over a broad spe…
The risk is particularly acute for reconnaissance drones because they tend to remain close to the defended force. During an attack, surveillance drones may be orbiting overhead to identify incoming threats, track launch locations, or relay information between units. Withdrawing them before every microwave engagement may remove critical situational awareness at the worst possible moment.
Government Accountability Office assessments of directed-energy weapons note that high-power microwave systems can temporarily degrade or damage electronics and that wider-area effects raise concerns about impacts on assets other than the intended target.[GAO]gao.govgao 23 106717Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — These weapons use electromagnetic energy to cause effects ranging from…
Why Reconnaissance Drones Stay in Risky Airspace
Reconnaissance drones differ from expendable attack drones because their value comes from continuous observation. They often cannot simply leave the area and return later without creating intelligence gaps.
Several operational pressures keep them exposed:
- They may be tracking hostile drones approaching the defended position.
- They often provide the sensor picture used to guide defensive decisions.
- They can function as communications relays when terrain blocks direct radio links.
- They may be the only source of real-time battlefield observation available to local commanders.
The result is a paradox: the more useful the reconnaissance drone becomes during an attack, the more likely it is to remain inside the same airspace where microwave defences may need to fire.
What Disruption Means for Sensors and Data Links
Reconnaissance drones are heavily dependent on electronics. Cameras, navigation systems, processors, radios, antennas, and flight-control computers all contribute to mission performance. High-power microwave weapons are specifically intended to couple energy into electronic systems and create disruption ranging from temporary malfunction to permanent failure.[Office of Naval Research+2Drone Warfare]navy.milOffice of Naval Research Directed Energy Weapons: High Power Microwaves HPM weapons create beams of electromagnetic energy over a broad sOffice of Naval ResearchDirected Energy Weapons: High Power MicrowavesHPM weapons create beams of electromagnetic energy over a broad spe…
Research examining HPM effects on unmanned aircraft datalinks found that interference, disturbance, and degradation can occur when drone communications systems are exposed to strong microwave energy. The datalink was identified as a particularly vulnerable subsystem because it is continuously transmitting and receiving signals.[ResearchGate]researchgate.netResearch Gate Investigation on Effects of HPM Pulse on UAV's DatalinkInvestigation on Effects of HPM Pulse on UAV's DatalinkMay 29, 2019 — Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is likely to be interfere…
For a reconnaissance drone, disruption does not necessarily require total destruction. Even short-lived effects can create serious operational consequences:
- Loss of video transmission can remove the commander’s view of the battlefield.
- Data-link interruption can sever operator control.
- Navigation errors can degrade tracking accuracy.
- Sensor resets can interrupt target observation.
- Flight-control anomalies may force emergency recovery procedures.
A drone that remains airborne but stops delivering useful information may still represent a mission failure.
Why Communications Systems Are Especially Exposed
Reconnaissance drones depend more heavily on communications than many other platforms. Their primary purpose is to collect and transmit information. Cameras and sensors generate large volumes of data that must reach operators in near real time.
Because microwave effects often interact strongly with antennas, receivers, cabling, and radio-frequency subsystems, the communications chain can become a critical point of vulnerability. Studies focused on UAV electromagnetic susceptibility have repeatedly identified data links as one of the first areas where performance degradation appears under HPM exposure.[ResearchGate]researchgate.netResearch Gate Investigation on Effects of HPM Pulse on UAV's DatalinkInvestigation on Effects of HPM Pulse on UAV's DatalinkMay 29, 2019 — Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is likely to be interfere…
This creates a unique challenge. A reconnaissance drone may survive physically yet become operationally blind and mute, unable to provide intelligence or receive commands.
How Losing Surveillance Can Change the Tactical Result
The danger is not merely the loss of a single aircraft. The larger concern is the loss of information.
Modern military operations increasingly rely on continuous aerial surveillance. Friendly reconnaissance drones often detect threats before ground observers can see them. They help identify attack routes, locate launch teams, track hostile movement, and confirm whether defensive actions succeeded.
When microwave defence disables or degrades those assets, commanders may lose:
- Early warning of follow-on attacks.
- Real-time tracking of surviving hostile drones.
- Confirmation that a threat has actually been neutralised.
- Visibility into enemy movements beyond direct line of sight.
In practical terms, a force may successfully defeat part of a hostile drone swarm while simultaneously reducing its own awareness of what happens next.
This trade-off becomes more severe during large-scale attacks. Demonstrations of modern HPM systems have highlighted their ability to affect numerous drones within a single engagement, including dozens of targets in one shot. Such capabilities are valuable against swarms, but they also illustrate why commanders must consider every friendly unmanned aircraft operating inside the engagement volume.[Tom's Hardware]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…
The Reconnaissance Dilemma
The vulnerability of friendly reconnaissance drones is not primarily a question of poor design. It arises from competing operational priorities.
Defenders need surveillance drones in the air because they improve awareness and support defensive decision-making. At the same time, high-power microwave weapons derive much of their value from affecting electronics across an area rather than striking a single target. When friendly reconnaissance platforms occupy that same area, they may be exposed to the very electromagnetic effects intended for hostile systems.[GAO+2Office of Naval Research]gao.govgao 23 106717Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — These weapons use electromagnetic energy to cause effects ranging from…
The consequence is a recurring tactical dilemma: firing the microwave weapon may protect the force from an immediate drone threat, but it can also degrade the surveillance network that helps the force understand and respond to the battle that follows. In environments where information is as valuable as firepower, that trade-off can be as significant as the defensive shot itself.[GAO+2Mobility Engineering Technology]gao.govgao 23 106717Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — These weapons use electromagnetic energy to cause effects ranging from…
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Endnotes
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Link:https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106717
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Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons25 May 2023 — These weapons use electromagnetic energy to cause effects ranging from...
Published: May 2023
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Directed Energy Weapons: DOD Should Focus on...17 Apr 2023 — Additionally, the departments developed a range of high power microwave cap...
4.
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Title: electronic warfare
Link:https://drone-warfare.com/counter-uas/electronic-warfare/
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High-power microwave (HPM) destroys its electronics. This distinction is critical. Jamming...Read more...
5.
Source: researchgate.net
Title: Research Gate Investigation on Effects of HPM Pulse on UAV’s Datalink
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333476144_Investigation_on_Effects_of_HPM_Pulse_on_UAV%27s_Datalink
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Investigation on Effects of HPM Pulse on UAV's DatalinkMay 29, 2019 — Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is likely to be interfere...
Published: May 29, 2019
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Office of Naval ResearchDirected Energy Weapons: High Power MicrowavesHPM weapons create beams of electromagnetic energy over a broad spe...
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Mobility Engineering TechnologyHardening Unmanned Aerial Systems Against High-Power...14 May 2022 — These weapons can disrupt UAS operat...
Published: May 2022
8.
Source: tomshardware.com
Title: Tom’s Hardware High-power microwave system downs 49 drones in one shot
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...
Additional References
9.
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Detecting and Neutralizing Mini-DronesThe simplest technique is to generate jamming signals against the control link, delivering enough p...
10.
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Disruption to Destruction Assessing theby K Karcz · Cited by 2 — In this paper conclusions from research in the topic of protection and d...
11.
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Directed Energy Weapons in CounterDrone Missile Defense4 May 2026 — The high-energy [lasers]({{ 'lasers/' | relative_url }}) that are being used to defeat any aerial threa...
Published: May 2026
13.
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weapons, affect all assets in an area, whether friend or foe.Read more...
14.
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magnetic energy that interfere with the internal electronics of...
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Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/aerospace/comments/1nwj3my/what_will_the_counter_weapon_be_when_surface/
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elt a plane with ease, how will planes be able to counter this?...
16.
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Link:https://www.uncrewed-systems.com/countering-microwave-weapons/
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ast one drone detects an HPM pulse and transmits...Read more...
17.
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Link:https://www.facebook.com/cctvcom/posts/china-has-developed-a-city-police-anti-drone-[swarm-microwave
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tting high-power microwave pulses, it can disable drones...
18.
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A Counter to Drone Swarms: High-Power Microwave...HPM weapons work by emitting directed bursts of electromagnetic energy, dis...
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