Impressive new weapon obliterates swarms of attacking drones

By Dean Murray

A jaw-dropping new weapon can drop swarms of attacking drones out of the sky.

The Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) system delivers weaponized electromagnetic interference to counter lethal airborne threats.

Californian company Epirus has carried out live-fire demonstrations of the system, in which they say they disabled 61-of-61 drones—a 100% success rate.

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In one dramatic test, they demonstrated defeating 49 drones at the same time.

The Epirus Leonidas works by firing its high-power microwave weapon to disable drone swarms by emitting targeted electromagnetic pulses to overload and disrupt their electronics instantly and safely. The drones then drop out of the sky.

The invitation-only demonstration took place at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and was attended by representatives from throughout the US Department of Defense, other US Government agencies and nine allied countries.

“This is a watershed moment for Epirus. We believe showcasing our weaponised electromagnetic interference is the most effective way to communicate that Leonidas is the only mission-capable, counter-swarm solution for the one-to-many fight,” said Andy Lowery, Epirus CEO. “Those who joined us witnessed this first-hand as 61 drones went up—and 61 went down.”