Within Leonidas
Can One Pulse Beat a Drone Swarm?
Leonidas matters most when cheap drones arrive in groups and traditional interceptors become costly, slow or magazine-limited.
On this page
- Why swarms strain guns and missiles
- How wide area microwave effects change the cost exchange
- Where one to many defence still needs other layers
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Introduction
Drone swarms create a simple but powerful economic problem for air defence: attackers can launch large numbers of inexpensive drones, while defenders often have to spend a separate interceptor, shell burst, or engagement opportunity on each target. Leonidas, the high-power microwave (HPM) system developed by Epirus, is designed to change that equation. Rather than treating every drone as an individual engagement, it seeks to disable multiple drones with a single pulse of electromagnetic energy. The significance of Leonidas is therefore not merely technical. Its core value proposition is economic: reducing the cost, time and magazine burden of defending against massed drone attacks. [Epirus]epirusinc.comEpirusEpirus Leonidas High-Power Microwave: Directed Energy…Leonidas is a solid-state, high-power HPM system, utilizing Gallium Nitrid…
Within the broader directed-energy weapons market, Leonidas has become a prominent example of a shift from “one-to-one” defence models towards “one-to-many” counter-swarm concepts. The question is not whether microwaves replace every other air-defence tool, but whether they can make swarm attacks less economically attractive for the attacker. [Axios]axios.comThe round was led by 8VC and Washington Harbour Partners LP. With this funding, Epirus plans to expand production of its key product, Leo…
Why Swarms Strain Guns and Missiles
Traditional air-defence systems were largely built around threats such as aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles or rockets. Drone swarms introduce a different challenge. Many small drones can be acquired and deployed at relatively low cost, yet each one still requires detection, tracking and engagement.
The economic imbalance appears when a defender must allocate a separate resource to every incoming drone. Even if interception succeeds, the defender may expend expensive missiles, consume finite ammunition stocks, or overwhelm operators and fire-control systems. This creates what defence analysts often call an unfavourable cost exchange ratio: the attacker spends little while forcing the defender to spend much more.
The drone wars of the 2020s accelerated military interest in alternatives because quantity itself became a weapon. A swarm does not necessarily need every drone to reach its target. It only needs enough drones to saturate the defender’s available engagements. This is precisely the environment in which high-power microwave systems are marketed. [Wikipedia+2Axios]WikipediaEpirus LeonidasEpirus Leonidas
How Wide-Area Microwave Effects Change the Cost Exchange
Leonidas attempts to alter swarm economics through a different engagement mechanism. Instead of physically striking drones one at a time, it projects high-power microwave energy intended to disrupt or damage electronic systems. Because multiple drones may occupy the same area of airspace, a single pulse can potentially affect many targets simultaneously. [Epirus]epirusinc.comEpirusEpirus Leonidas High-Power Microwave: Directed Energy…Leonidas is a solid-state, high-power HPM system, utilizing Gallium Nitrid…
The economic impact comes from several related effects:
One engagement can affect multiple drones.
A missile normally destroys one target. A microwave pulse can potentially affect numerous drones within its effective beam pattern. The more tightly grouped the swarm, the greater the theoretical economic advantage. [AFRL]afrl.af.milarmy partners with air forces thor for base defenseArmy partners with Air Force's THOR for base defense23 Feb 2021 — THOR is a prototype directed energy weapon used to disable the elec…
The system is not constrained by a traditional missile magazine.
A conventional launcher eventually runs out of interceptors and requires reloading. Directed-energy systems primarily consume electrical power rather than expendable missiles. While power generation and cooling remain important constraints, the operating model is fundamentally different from firing finite stocks of interceptors. [GAO]gao.govScience & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy WeaponsScience & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy WeaponsMay 25, 2023 — These weapons include high energy lasers and other high power electrom…
Rapid re-engagement reduces saturation pressure.
Swarm attacks rely partly on overwhelming defenders faster than they can react. Microwave systems are intended to engage repeatedly without the reload cycle associated with many kinetic weapons. This can reduce one of the attacker’s main advantages: forcing defenders into a sequence of individual engagements. [AFRL]afrl.af.milarmy partners with air forces thor for base defenseArmy partners with Air Force's THOR for base defense23 Feb 2021 — THOR is a prototype directed energy weapon used to disable the elec…
Marginal engagement cost falls.
Once the system is fielded, the cost of another pulse is generally far lower than the cost of another missile. The upfront procurement expense may be substantial, but the economic argument focuses on repeated use against large numbers of inexpensive drones. [Axios]axios.comThe round was led by 8VC and Washington Harbour Partners LP. With this funding, Epirus plans to expand production of its key product, Leo…
In essence, Leonidas attempts to transform the defender’s cost curve. Instead of costs increasing roughly in proportion to the number of incoming drones, the goal is for one engagement to influence many targets at once.
The Importance of the “One-to-Many” Demonstration
The strongest evidence for Leonidas’ economic argument comes from demonstrations intended to show simultaneous effects against large numbers of drones.
In 2025, Epirus reported that Leonidas neutralised 61 of 61 drones during a live-fire demonstration and culminated in a 49-drone swarm engagement defeated with a single microwave burst. Company statements and subsequent reporting presented the event as proof of the system’s one-to-many engagement model. [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…
Even allowing for the limitations of demonstration environments, the significance lies less in the exact drone count than in the economic principle being tested. A defender firing forty-nine separate interceptors against forty-nine drones faces a very different resource problem from a defender using a single pulse to affect the entire group.
This is why military organisations continue investing in microwave counter-swarm programmes. The U.S. Army has funded multiple Leonidas-related efforts, while other militaries are testing similar radio-frequency directed-energy concepts specifically aimed at swarm threats. In 2025, the British Army reported successful radio-frequency directed-energy trials that defeated drone swarms and immobilised more than 100 drones across testing, reflecting broader interest in the same economic logic. [Epirus]epirusinc.comArmy for…17 Jul 2025 — Epirus announced today a $43,551,060 contract from the U.S. Army's. High-Power Microwave. M) Leonidas technolog…
Why the Economics Improve as Drones Get Cheaper
Counter-intuitively, Leonidas becomes more attractive as individual drones become cheaper.
When attackers use expensive aircraft or missiles, conventional interceptors can remain economically acceptable. However, when a swarm consists of low-cost quadcopters, loitering munitions or improvised drones, the defender may find that spending a sophisticated interceptor on every target becomes increasingly unattractive.
The result is a widening gap between offensive and defensive costs. High-power microwave systems are intended to narrow that gap by making the cost of defeating twenty drones closer to the cost of defeating two drones than to the cost of defeating twenty separate aircraft. [Wikipedia+2Axios]WikipediaEpirus LeonidasEpirus Leonidas
This is one reason defence officials increasingly describe counter-drone missions as a leading application for directed-energy weapons. The operational challenge is not simply destroying drones. It is doing so at a sustainable cost when drone quantities continue to rise. [National Defense Magazine]nationaldefensemagazine.orgcounterdrone mission seen as killer app for directed energyNational Defense MagazineCounter-UAS Mission Seen as Killer App for Directed Energy20 Jan 2026 — High-powered microwaves can blast more e…
Where One-to-Many Defence Still Needs Other Layers
The economic case for Leonidas does not eliminate the need for layered air defence.
Not every target is part of a dense swarm
The one-to-many advantage depends on geometry. Widely dispersed drones may reduce the efficiency of a microwave engagement compared with a tightly packed swarm. In some situations, individual targets may still be better handled by other systems. [GAO]gao.govScience & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy WeaponsScience & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy WeaponsMay 25, 2023 — These weapons include high energy lasers and other high power electrom…
Physical and environmental limits remain
High-power microwave weapons are not limitless. They require power generation, cooling, sensing systems and effective targeting. Real-world performance can vary with range, target design, shielding and operational conditions. Independent research on microwave counter-drone effects highlights the importance of factors such as energy coupling, distance and drone electronics vulnerability. [arXiv]arxiv.orgA Multi-physics Simulation Framework for High-power Microwave Counter-unmanned Aerial System Design and Performance EvaluationFebrua…
Defenders still need multiple engagement options
Modern air defence increasingly relies on layered architectures that combine sensors, electronic warfare, directed energy and kinetic interceptors. Microwave weapons may be especially valuable against massed drone attacks, but other threats may require missiles, guns, lasers or electronic warfare tools. The goal is not replacing every defensive layer but giving commanders a more favourable option when confronted by large numbers of low-cost drones. [GAO]gao.govScience & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy WeaponsScience & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy WeaponsMay 25, 2023 — These weapons include high energy lasers and other high power electrom…
What Leonidas Ultimately Changes
Leonidas changes drone swarm economics because it attacks the central assumption behind saturation tactics: that defenders must spend a separate engagement on each incoming drone.
If microwave systems can reliably disable groups of drones with a single pulse, the attacker’s advantage from mass production begins to shrink. The defender gains a weapon whose effectiveness can scale with the number of targets in the engagement area rather than being consumed one interceptor at a time. That does not make swarms obsolete, nor does it remove the need for layered defence. What it does is challenge the economic logic that made drone swarms so attractive in the first place: forcing expensive, finite defensive responses to cheap, numerous threats. [Axios+2Epirus]axios.comThe round was led by 8VC and Washington Harbour Partners LP. With this funding, Epirus plans to expand production of its key product, Leo…
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Can One Pulse Beat a Drone Swarm?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
Introduction to Electronic Warfare Modeling and Simulation
First published 2006. Subjects: Electronics in military engineering, Mathematical models, Computer simulation.
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Endnotes
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Source: axios.com
Link: https://www.axios.com/2025/03/05/epirus-directed-energy-drone-fundingSource snippet
The round was led by 8VC and Washington Harbour Partners LP. With this funding, Epirus plans to expand production of its key product, Leo...
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Source: gao.gov
Title: Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy Weapons
Link: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106717Source snippet
Science & Tech Spotlight: Directed Energy WeaponsMay 25, 2023 — These weapons include high energy lasers and other high power electrom...
Published: May 25, 2023
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Epirus Leonidas
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epirus_Leonidas -
Source: axios.com
Title: Army gets four drone zappers in rush to defend troops The U.S
Link: https://www.axios.com/2024/05/15/drone-defense-us-military-epirusSource snippet
Army has received four prototype directed-energy weapons, referred to as "drone zappers," from defense contractor Epirus as part of a $66...
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Source: arxiv.org
Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.12461 -
Source: afrl.af.mil
Title: army partners with air forces [thor]({{ ‘thor/’ | relative_url }}) for base defense
Link: https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article/2512426/army-partners-with-air-forces-thor-for-base-defense/Source snippet
Army partners with Air Force's THOR for base defense23 Feb 2021 — THOR is a prototype directed energy weapon used to disable the elec...
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Source: arxiv.org
Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.08477Source snippet
A Multi-physics Simulation Framework for High-power Microwave Counter-unmanned Aerial System Design and Performance EvaluationFebrua...
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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: 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...
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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
Epirus' electromagnetic weapon zaps drone swarm in...28 Aug 2025 — Waves of drones tumbled out of the sky above Camp Atterbury, Indiana...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Leonidas AGV: The Autonomous Microwave Weapon Truck Destroying Drone Swarms
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0JiV7pUg70Source 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=na0pGfopahMSource snippet
Epirus Leonidas HPM: The Premier Counter-Drone Swarm Solution...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: Epirus Leonidas HPM: The Premier Counter-Drone Swarm Solution
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAmSDdK57o0Source snippet
New Weapon Downs Dozens of Attack Drones in Stunning Display...
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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...
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Source: thedefensepost.com
Title: epirus ifpc hpm gen ii
Link: https://thedefensepost.com/2025/07/18/epirus-ifpc-hpm-gen-ii/Source snippet
Epirus Bags $43M US Army Anti‑Drone Directed‑Energy...18 Jul 2025 — The Epirus Leonidas line of IFPC-HPM [platforms]({{ 'platforms/' | relative_url }}) emits long-pulse micr...
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Source: nationaldefensemagazine.org
Title: counterdrone mission seen as killer app for directed energy
Link: https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2026/1/20/counterdrone-mission-seen-as-killer-app-for-directed-energySource snippet
National Defense MagazineCounter-UAS Mission Seen as Killer App for Directed Energy20 Jan 2026 — High-powered microwaves can blast more e...
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Source: nationaldefensemagazine.org
Title: epirus bringing advanced counter drone system to army other markets
Link: https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2025/7/17/epirus-bringing-advanced-counter-drone-system-to-army-other-marketsSource snippet
JUST IN: Army Acquiring Next Generation of Epirus...17 Jul 2025 — Epirus landed a $43.6 million contract from the Army in June to delive...
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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...
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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
Epirus' Leonidas defeats 49-drone swarm with one...Sep 2, 2025 — Epirus has successfully demonstrated its Leonidas counter-drone system...
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Source: epirusinc.com
Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/press-releases/epirus-receives-43-million-contract-from-u-s-army-for-ifpc-hpm-generation-ii-systemsSource snippet
Army for...17 Jul 2025 — Epirus announced today a $43,551,060 contract from the U.S. Army's. High-Power Microwave. M) Leonidas technolog...
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Source: epirusinc.com
Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/Source snippet
Home of Leonidas, the Premier High-Power...Epirus combines the latest in directed energy, long-pulse high-power microwaves (HPM), AI, an...
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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: epirusinc.com
Link: https://www.epirusinc.com/press-releases/epirus-delivers-ifpc-hpm-counter-swarm-system-to-u-s-army-developing-pathway-to-field-high-power-microwave-capabilitySource snippet
lity – High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) system to the US Army.Read more...
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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...
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Source: unmannedairspace.info
Link: https://www.unmannedairspace.info/counter-uas-systems-and-policies/us-gao-report-directed-energy-weapon-technical-maturity-levels-still-lagging/ -
Source: wordpress-1555235-6025816.cloudwaysapps.com
Title: epirus leonidas system downs 49 drones in swarm test
Link: https://wordpress-1555235-6025816.cloudwaysapps.com/content/epirus-leonidas-system-downs-49-drones-in-swarm-test/Source snippet
Leonidas system downs 49 drones in swarm testThe system uses directed energy in the form of high-power microwaves to disable or damage on...
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Source: defensedaily.com
Link: https://www.defensedaily.com/epirus-details-ifpc-hpms-100-success-rate-at-recent-demo-knocked-out-drone-swarm/army/Source snippet
Epirus Details IFPC-HPM's 100% Success Rate At Recent...12 Sept 2025 — Epirus said this week its Leonidas high-power microwave system ha...
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Source: defence-blog.com
Title: epirus confirms leonidas microwave system integration with dft platform
Link: https://defence-blog.com/epirus-confirms-leonidas-microwave-system-integration-with-dft-platform/Source snippet
Epirus confirms Leonidas microwave system integration...25 Feb 2026 — The combined system links autonomous detection and tracking with n...
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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: navalnews.com
Link: https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/sea-air-space-2025/2025/04/epirus-introduces-leonidas-h2o-high-power-microwave-system-for-maritime-interdiction-and-uav-protection/Source snippet
Epirus Introduces Leonidas H2O, High-Power Microwave...9 Apr 2025 — April 8, 2025—Epirus announced today the introduction of [Leonidas H2]({{ 'h2-o/' | relative_url }})...
Published: April 8, 2025
Additional References
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/comments/1hled0c/radio_frequency_directed_energy_weapon/Source snippet
Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon successfully...RFDEWs are a type of directed energy weapon that neutralises threats by emitting h...
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Source: onr.navy.mil
Link: https://www.onr.navy.mil/organization/departments/code-35/division-353/directed-energy-weapons-high-power-microwavesSource snippet
Energy Weapons: High Power MicrowavesHPM weapons create beams of electromagnetic energy over a broad spectrum of radio and microwave freq...
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Source: frost.com
Link: https://www.frost.com/growth-opportunity-news/aerospace-defense/defense-industry/the-rise-of-directed-energy-weapons-growth-opportunities-in-laser-and-microwave-defense-and01_tg02_tgc_pfvn_oct25_cim-ms/Source snippet
Growth Opportunities in Laser and Microwave Defense27 Oct 2025 — Discover how directed energy weapons (DEWs) are transforming global defe...
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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
Army Puts $43M Bet On Next Gen Leonidas High Power...17 Jul 2025 — Today, high power microwave (HPM) system maker Epirus announced it ha...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSM6q_TKcTsSource snippet
DRDO'S New Microwave Weapon ExplainedDRDO'S New Microwave Weapon Explained The DRDO High Power Microwave (HPM) Directed Energy Weapon sys...
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Source: designnews.com
Title: us army invests 43m in epirus advanced drone countering microwave system
Link: https://www.designnews.com/industry/us-army-invests-43m-in-epirus-advanced-drone-countering-microwave-systemSource snippet
Army Backs Epirus' Anti-Drone TechJul 30, 2025 — Epirus secures $43M Army contract to enhance Leonidas, a high-power microwave system des...
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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: breakingdefense.com
Title: high power microwave force field knocks drone swarms from sky
Link: https://breakingdefense.com/2025/02/high-power-microwave-force-field-knocks-drone-swarms-from-sky/Source snippet
High-power microwave 'force field' knocks drone swarms...Feb 18, 2025 — The Defense Department is experimenting with high-power microwav...
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Source: evrimagaci.org
Title: leonidas microwave weapon downs drone swarm in indiana 495469
Link: https://evrimagaci.org/gpt/leonidas-microwave-weapon-downs-drone-swarm-in-indiana-495469?srsltid=AfmBOorKnjNJGRXSHyBssXCyqFHFbNbXJ11CtWFbdX5RSIdZztWU6ui3Source snippet
Leonidas Microwave Weapon Downs Drone Swarm In...Aug 29, 2025 — Demonstrate Leonidas, Epirus's high-powered microwave weapon, successful...
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Source: defence-industries.com
Title: how directed energy weapons are revolutionizing counter uav
Link: https://www.defence-industries.com/articles/how-directed-energy-weapons-are-revolutionizing-counter-uavSource snippet
Directed Energy Weapons in Counter-UAV Defense | 2025Explore how directed energy weapons are transforming modern defense by enhancing cou...
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