The US Army has awarded Eprius a contract worth US$66.1 million to deliver prototypes of a new microwave weapon called Leonidas that is capable of bri

US Army awards contract for microwave weapon to counter drone swarms

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2023-01-25 21:00:09

The US Army has awarded Eprius a contract worth US$66.1 million to deliver prototypes of a new microwave weapon called Leonidas that is capable of bringing down entire swarms of enemy drones in a single burst, while leaving friendly aircraft intact.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated, small, cheap drones can pose a real threat on the battlefield that will only grow as technology progresses. Off-the-shelf robotic aircraft have already proven to be invaluable for reconnaissance, target spotting, and even direct attack. Outside of war zones, they can also be a deadly nuisance if they are sent into airspace occupied by civilian aircraft.

One nightmare scenario is an enemy attacking with swarms of drones that can either overwhelm a location's defenses or force the defenders to expend missiles costing millions of dollars each to destroy a drone costing only a few hundred.

To counter this threat, increasing attention is being paid to directed energy weapons, including lasers and microwaves. These systems come in a variety of sizes and levels of sophistication, but they all share the advantages of operating at the speed of light, being able to engage multiple targets, and using electricity for ammunition at a ridiculously low cost per round.

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