Picture this: You're standing in an open field and look up to see dozens of drones buzzing toward you. Not toy drones, but more sophisticated variations with cameras, explosives, or worse. Scrambling for anything defensive, you locate a switch. (I know, you're wondering why there's a switch lying on the ground in an open field, but please, bear with me.) You flip that switch and, instantly, every drone drops like a rock: No bullets, explosions ...just silence.
This illustrates the reality behind a microwave weapon.
Once the promise of science fiction, high-power microwave systems are now at the cutting edge of American drone defense strategy. There's no need for bullets, warheads, or even direct contact, because they attack with energy: Invisible, lightning-fast, and incredibly efficient.
What Microwaves Actually Do to a Drone
Forget what microwaves do to popcorn; military-grade microwaves don't heat moist cells; they disrupt electronics.
Every drone, whether a hobby model for $500 or a $50,000 battlefield UAV, relies on sensitive circuitry to fly, steer, and carry out its assigned mission.
When directed pulses of microwave energy hit those circuits, it's like sending a lightning bolt through a drone's nervous system.
The effect?
Sensors overload, communications fail, and motors stutter; guidance systems fail, and then it crashes.
It's the digital equivalent of blacking out.
But, here's the game-changer: These pulses simply don't target a single drone; they hit the swarm where a single burst kills dozens of drones.
The Army’s Bold Bet: $43.5 Million for Epirus
A few weeks ago, the U.S. Army awarded Epirus a contract worth $43.55 million for its Leonidas Generation II systems, which are deployable battlefield assets built upon lessons learned from live-fire exercises and soldier feedback. Epirus begins delivery by October.
This second generation builds off the original Leonidas system and includes expanded capabilities, including:
- Roughly double the range
- More than 30 percent additional power output
- High-density battery systems for extended runtime
- New software-defined waveforms for precision targeting
- Improved user interfaces tailored to field deployment
The Army isn't just tinkering; it's committing to the program where they're entering combat with urgency.
The enhanced systems will incorporate Soldier feedback from IFPC-HPM Generation I (GEN I) testing, including engineering developmental testing, joint integrated air and missile defense livefire exercises and operational assessments with combatant commands.
"Our first IFPC-HPM prototypes were put through the wringer and emerged from sophisticated testing with favorable outcomes. The second generation of our energy-based HPM platform and the next increment of IFPC-HPM will be even more powerful, more mission capable and more impressive all around," said Andy Lowery, Epirus CEO. "Drones are everywhere. We've seen drone incursions over U.S. bases, incursions over our southern border and swarm attacks are defining overseas conflicts. Epirus is prepared to answer the Army's call and rapidly produce at scale to help solve the asymmetric drone threat with our HPM technology."
Epirus isn't alone; the Air Force's THOR program has been zapping simulated drone swarms since the Air Force Research Lab rolled out in 2019. The British Army has recently conducted field tests using its own directed-energy systems. One system is the Rapid Destroyer, which has been used to neutralize two entire drone swarms in a single engagement.
How much does each pulse cost? Under 15 cents.
When compared to a Stinger missile at $119,000 per shot, the shift towards microwave systems becomes much easier. Not only are microwave weapons futuristic, they're fiscally savvy.
Beyond the Tech: Why the Doctrine Is Changing
For the past hundred years, militaries have relied on a simple formula that included three key components: speed, firepower, and precision. Drones upended the status quo, making the threat cheap, disposable, and overwhelming in volume. A $119,000 missile takes out a single drone, while a microwave beam clears the entire sky.
We've reached the turning point.
The new microwave systems scale in ways bullets and bombs never could, because the waves travel at the speed of light. Systems never run dry of ammo, and there's a tiny deployment footprint that doesn't need giant launchers, reloading crews, or endless supply chains. All that's necessary is power, software, and smart targeting.
Meet a new war: Circuit disruption replaces shrapnel.
The Organizational Push: Coordinated Defense, Finally
In recent years, the Pentagon has faced criticism for fragmentation, characterized by numerous overlapping efforts and inadequate coordination.
Things are changing.
Army Vice Chief of Staff, General James Mingus, announced in early July a new interservice counter-drone task force to unite all branches around a cohesive strategy that includes microwaves, lasers, electronic warfare, and kinetic weapons.
Simultaneously, Army Futures Command is pushing contractors to finally stop playing games. As General Rainey put it, "We don't want pieces of the puzzle, we want the whole system."
That entire system combines Leonidas, THOR, and AI, rapidly deployed. This doctrine encompasses a set of principles that effectively address threats in regions such as Ukraine, Syria, and the South China Sea.
The Limitations We Can’t Ignore
No weapon is perfect, including microwave systems, which have vulnerabilities, and the Pentagon is aware of them.
First, they're line-of-sight systems where fog, rain, buildings, and dense terrain interfere with functionality. Friendly drones flying in the same area are also at risk.
Although some systems have been improving at selecting targets, there's still plenty of work to be done.
Leonidas is a next-generation High-Power Microwave (HPM) system developed by Epirus, specifically designed to neutralize a wide range of electronic threats, starting with drones and drone swarms. Built on gallium nitride (GaN)-based solid-state technology and utilizing long-pulse high-energy emissions, Leonidas relies on a fully software-defined architecture. This allows for continuous performance optimization without the need for hardware changes, by adapting range and efficiency through each software update. The system is modular and available in several configurations, including a fixed installation, a mobile version that can be mounted on vehicles, and a pod format suitable for airborne or ground-based platforms. This flexibility gives it high operational adaptability across various deployment environments.
Loosely controlled microwave pulses cause disruptions to other electronics, radios, communications, and sensors. This is why integration with existing battlefield systems becomes critical.
None of these disadvantages outweighs the benefits of microwaves. Plus, unlike missiles or bullets, the new systems can be programmed in the field with software updates, eliminating the need for hardware overhauls.
History Is Repeating, Just in a New Frequency
Militaries have always sought game-changers for a reason. Longbows, gunpowder, ironclads, tanks, and the A-bomb have disrupted the rules of war.
We can add microwave weapons to the list.
These systems aren't loud, don't explode, and don't make great footage for Hollywood, but the fight has changed, and that's what matters.
Drone warfare is entering a new phase where the side with the best energy weapons doesn't simply win the battle; all threats are eliminated before enemies can fire.
The old saying goes, You never hear the bullet that kills you. Now, you won’t even see the beam.
