Existing weapons cannot stop swarms. This new High-Tech microwave Weapon blaster can.
On March 27, 2024, a U.S. warship patrolling the Red Sea detected four radar tracks originating from Yemen, resembling the drone attacks consistently launched by Houthi rebels. Since December, the Navy has successfully intercepted numerous such attacks using interceptor missiles, ensuring the ship’s safety without casualties. However, the continuous drone launches strain the missile supplies, with occasional waves deploying up to 14 drones.
This situation underscores the challenges of asymmetric warfare faced by the U.S. military. While the U.S. leads in advanced military technology, countries like Iran and China deploy large numbers of cost-effective attack drones, threatening the sustainability of U.S. missile-based defenses.
Paul Scharre, Ph.D., from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), emphasizes the inefficiency of using expensive missiles against cheap drones. “Taking out a thousand-dollar drone with a million-dollar missile is not a cost-effective solution,” states Scharre.
Andrew Lowery, CEO of Epirus, a high-tech weapon manufacturer, highlights the threat posed by adversaries aiming to deplete U.S. arsenals using inexpensive drones. Epirus’ solution is the Leonidas Counter-Uncrewed Aerial System, a powerful microwave weapon capable of disabling drones by overloading their electronics. Unlike jamming devices that merely disrupt drone guidance, Leonidas physically destroys them.
Introduced in 2022, Leonidas has demonstrated high effectiveness in tests, successfully neutralizing all targeted drones, including multiple simultaneous threats. Epirus has supplied four systems to the U.S. Army for evaluation, offering a promising solution to counter the increasing drone threats. Scharre acknowledges the potential of directed energy weapons like Leonidas, emphasizing the need for cost-effective defenses against mass drone attacks.
Microwave Weaponry Unveiled: Epirus’ Leonidas System
Epirus’ Leonidas Counter-Uncrewed Aerial System is making waves in the defense industry with its cutting-edge microwave technology. Instead of merely jamming drone signals, Leonidas emits a powerful microwave beam that induces currents in electronic devices, leading them to malfunction or even burn out entirely. This innovative approach ensures drones are not just confused but completely disabled, effectively grounding them.
Introduced by Epirus in 2020 and upgraded to its third-generation model in 2022, Leonidas boasts a unique design. Unlike traditional dish antennas, its emitter is a ten-foot flat plate. This plate houses an array of solid-state gallium nitride units, similar to LEDs but emitting radio waves instead of light. Controlled by a sophisticated computer system, these emitters allow for precise shaping and steering of the microwave beam.
In tests conducted in 2021, Leonidas demonstrated its prowess by successfully neutralizing all 66 drone targets it encountered, even when faced with multiple drones simultaneously.
Recognizing its potential, the U.S. Army has procured four Leonidas systems for evaluation. With the increasing threat posed by drones, Leonidas could offer a cost-effective solution. As Scharre notes, “Directed energy for counter-drone applications promises a deeper magazine with a lower cost-per-shot than missiles, providing a more affordable defense against the rising tide of cheap drones.”
Costly Shields vs. Affordable Strikes
The U.S. Navy relies on the SM-6 Standard missile as its primary long-range air-defense weapon. This 3,300-pound missile, flying at Mach 3, comes with a price tag exceeding $3 million. While it can easily neutralize jet fighters or cruise missiles from over 150 miles away, it’s excessive against a 400-pound drone cruising at 100 miles per hour, which costs just a fraction to produce.
Stepping down to the medium-range, we have the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile. Weighing 620 pounds, it still demands a hefty $1.5 million per shot. Due to these high costs, the Navy’s arsenal consists of just 125 SM-6 and 147 Sea Sparrow missiles, primarily for countering attack aircraft and anti-ship missiles.
Some Navy vessels deploy Phalanx rapid-fire gatling guns as a last-resort defense, but with a range of under one mile, they’re far from foolproof. Zachary Kallenborn from the Center for Strategic and International Studies emphasizes that gun-based defenses fall short against overwhelming drone attacks.
The Houthi rebels employ low-cost drones, sourced from Iran and assembled in makeshift workshops. With years of experience in this warfare, they targeted Saudi oil facilities and other high-value assets. Despite advanced U.S.-supplied defenses, some drones evaded interception, causing significant damage.
In 2022, a ceasefire was agreed upon, but by November 2024, the Houthis resumed attacks, targeting international cargo ships in the Red Sea, ostensibly in solidarity with Palestine.
Iran-backed groups in Iraq and elsewhere also use similar drones against U.S. bases. In January 2024, an Iranian-backed drone attack in Jordan resulted in three U.S. soldier fatalities and 25 injuries.
The rising threat of cheap drones is undeniable, but microwave technology could level the playing field. Instead of the defenders bearing the brunt of high costs, attackers may find themselves exhausting their resources first.
Lowery suggests that their systems can neutralize swarms of drones at a cost of about 25 cents per drone. This technology counters not only Iranian threats but also China’s growing drone force, designed for potential Taiwan invasion scenarios. With the ability to tackle massive drone swarms, this tech could redefine defense strategies.
Kamikaze Speedboat Drones: The Sea’s New Threat
The sea isn’t safe from threats either. The Houthis have been deploying uncrewed speedboat drones armed with explosives, damaging cargo vessels. Ukraine has also successfully used similar drones against Russian warships in the Black Sea, executing attacks both at sea and in port. Surprisingly, Russian defenses struggled to counter these agile and fast-moving drones, especially during nighttime attacks.
These drone boat assaults have significantly weakened the Russian Black Sea Fleet, disrupting the blockade of Ukrainian ports. While U.S. warships have managed to fend off Houthi drone boats so far, the concern remains about facing multiple simultaneous drone boat attacks, possibly combined with aerial drones and missile strikes. Each drone boat costs approximately $100,000, significantly less than a missile.
Epirus’ microwave technology, showcased in the upcoming U.S. Navy’s Advanced Naval Technology Exercise Coastal Trident Program, aims to counter these drone boats effectively, potentially identifying defense gaps and solutions.
Directed Energy Weapons: Lasers vs. Microwaves
Leonidas is just one of the directed energy weapons making waves. The U.S. Navy has explored high-energy lasers since 2014 when the USS Ponce was equipped with the 30-kilowatt Laser Weapon System (LaWS) for defense in the Persian Gulf. However, LaWS faced challenges, including slow charge-up times and difficulties in maintaining a coherent beam.
The Navy is now developing a more potent 150-kilowatt laser named HELIOS. But lasers have limitations; environmental factors like rain, smoke, and fog can disrupt them, making them less reliable. Laser beams require longer “dwell time” on targets to inflict damage, whereas microwave beams act almost instantaneously and can engage multiple targets simultaneously.
Kallenborn expresses greater optimism about microwave weapons, noting their efficiency over lasers. The U.S. Air Force’s THOR system also uses microwaves but relies on older magnetron technology and occupies an entire shipping container. In contrast, Leonidas offers a compact, solid-state solution, making it unique in its class.
Microwave Weapon Factory: The Future of Air Defense
The Leonidas system isn’t a standalone solution but is set to integrate into a comprehensive air defense strategy that includes radar, guns, and missiles. Lowery reveals that the U.S. Army is evaluating plans to deploy one or more Leonidas units to active duty this summer.
Amid this, Ukraine faces relentless assaults from Russian-launched Shahed drones, supplied by Iran. With hundreds of drones infiltrating every month, Ukraine’s existing air-defense missiles fall short. While mobile air-defense units armed with searchlights and machine guns have shown effectiveness, some drones inevitably breach the
defenses. Leonidas could be a game-changer, and Lowery mentions ongoing discussions with the Department of Defense's Ukraine task force.
Furthermore, the U.S. Navy shows interest in this tech to counter drone threats, especially considering its missile expenditure in the Red Sea. Lowery assures readiness to meet demands, with their factory capable of producing three to four systems monthly upon order.
With drone production surging globally, conventional weapons might fall short against the impending swarm. Quick acquisition and deployment of innovative technologies like microwave weapons could be pivotal. Kallenborn emphasizes their advantages: cost-effectiveness and broad area coverage, capable of countering multiple drones simultaneously.
