Air Force Could Test New Counter-Drone Weapons Next Year
AI Analysis
The U.S. Air Force is considering testing Epirus Inc.'s Leonidas high-power microwave system, which has demonstrated the ability to disable multiple drones simultaneously. This system is part of a broader effort to enhance counter-drone capabilities across the military, with a focus on developing cost-effective and expendable solutions.
Key Takeaways
- Epirus Inc.'s Leonidas high-power microwave system can disable swarms of drones with a single pulse.
- The Air Force Research Laboratory has been working on similar systems like THOR and Mjolnir since 2019.
- Epirus' system has already been sold to the Army, indicating cross-service interest.
- The military emphasizes the need for inexpensive and expendable counter-drone solutions.
- The system's ability to disable drones temporarily allows for potential forensic analysis.
Why It Matters
The development and testing of advanced counter-drone systems like Leonidas are crucial as drone threats become more sophisticated and widespread. Ensuring these systems are cost-effective and expendable aligns with military strategies to efficiently counteract large-scale drone threats, enhancing national security and operational effectiveness.
Air Force Could Test New Counter-Drone Weapons Next Year [Skip to content] [] [] [My AFA Account] [Search] [My AFA] [Search] ![] Close Image![] Epirus’ Leonidas high-power microwave, counter-drone system at a recent field demonstration. Photo courtesy of Epirus Inc. [Expand Photo]![]
Air Force May Test New Counter-Drone Weapons Next Year: Industry Reps
Oct. 16, 2025 | By[Matthew Cox]
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- [] Share Article Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org This year’s Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting buzzed with talk of countering the rapidly evolving drone threat facing the entire U.S. military, including the Air Force. Leaders and defense industry officials discussed the need for new approaches to procurement and employment of a new class of these weapons. Air Force counter-drone officials may test Epirus Inc.’s high-power microwave system that boasts a track record of killing dozens of drones with one shot, the firm’s CEO said Oct. 14 at the AUSA conference. On the exhibit floor, Epirus unveiled the latest version of its Leonidas high-power microwave system mounted on a General Dynamics robotic tracked vehicle. During a live-fire demonstration in late August, a version of Leonidas downed a swarm of 49 drones with a single pulse. ![] Epirus teamed with General Dynamics to unveil its new version of its Leonidas high-power microwave system. Photo by Matthew Cox Epirus CEO Andy Lowery described the weapon as a counter-electronics system that temporarily disrupts and disables all sizes of drones. “It creates voltage-inducing conditions around the circuit board, so if you can imagine this field of electromagnetic energy in the atmosphere, and the boards and wires themselves pull in that electromagnetic energy which creates a voltage noise on the circuit boards,” Lowery told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The result is similar to the “blue screen of death” that Microsoft Windows users often suffered during a system error that could only be fixed by rebooting the computer, Lowery said. The Leonidas has the same effect on drones. “We knock down a drone, and if it doesn’t break from the fall, you can go grab it, turn off the power, turn the power back on again …and then the system will start,” Lowery said, adding that it can then be examined for forensic information. The Air Force Research Laboratory has been experimenting with counter-drone systems such as the[Tactical High-power Operational Responder, or THOR], since 2019. In a follow-on effort, the lab selected Leidos in 2022 to begin development a similar system dubbed “Mjolnir” after the hammer wielded by the Norse god Thor. The services counter-drone officials began to express interest in the Epirus system after the firm sold its first Leonidas systems to the Army in 2023. “We’ve been working with the Air Force fo