Microwave weapon downs 49 drones with a single blast

“Named after the Spartan king who held off a Persian invasion with a vastly inferior force at the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas is one of a family of weapons based on using long-pulse microwave beams to burn out the electronics of small drones.

The idea isn't new, but Epirus has improved on previous iterations by using Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductors to generate microwaves instead of fragile, power-hungry magnetron vacuum tubes. This allows for smaller, more durable, and more mobile systems that use less power. In addition, Leonidas is software driven and can tailor its waveform for optimum effect, it is safe to use around humans who may be in the field of fire, and the present system has twice the range of the 2022 version.

But the core feature is its "one-to-many" capability that gives it operational flexibility to handle a variety of scenarios. For example, it can strike against targets with precision to take out hostile drones while avoiding collateral damage, be programmed to set up no-fly zones with safety corridors to take out hostiles while allowing friendlies to pass, sustain continuous fire without overheating, and take down swarms in one go.”

"This is a watershed moment for Epirus," said Andy Lowery, Epirus CEO. "We believe showcasing our weaponized 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.Those who joined us witnessed this first-hand as 61 drones went up – and 61 went down."

By David Szondy

September 27, 2025

https://newatlas.com/military/microwave-beam-anti-drone-weapon/

—————

I’m not that well versed in military tech and advancements, but I felt like I actually learned something reading this article so I wanted to share.

_______

#scrollstr #article #interesting