US Army Deploys New Microwave Weapon – A Beam to Zap Drone Swarms

The battlefield of tomorrow is taking shape, and the US Army is arming itself with a new weapon ripped straight from science fiction: high-powered microwaves.

Epirus, a tech company specializing in directed energy solutions, announced last Wednesday (May 15) that it successfully tested its Indirect Fire Protection Capability—High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) systems with the US Army. This marks a significant leap forward in countering the growing threat of drone swarms.

Countering the Drone Swarm Threat

The importance of this achievement cannot be understated.

Drone attacks are a rising concern, with the potential to overwhelm traditional air defense systems.

Swarms of small, agile drones can be difficult to track and destroy with missiles or guns.

The IFPC-HPM system offers a new solution: a silent, directed energy beam that can fry drones’ electronics mid-flight, disabling them mid-flight.

“Now that we’ve done this they are going to make their systems robust against electromagnetic interference. We’ve thought about those steps already at #Epirus and we’ve put in the right hooks and right system architecture..” ~ Andy Lowery, CEO of @epirus via Microwave Journal pic.twitter.com/GAWFfEm6vW

— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) May 15, 2024

The successful testing resulted from close collaboration between Epirus, the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), and the Air Defense Artillery (ADA) community.

The key milestones achieved were the completion of both New Equipment Training (NET) and Engineering Developmental Testing (EDT).

Putting the IFPC-HPM Systems to the Test

The EDT pushed the IFPC-HPM systems to their limits. Engineers assessed their effectiveness against drones and drone swarms, utilizing increasingly complex flight patterns to simulate real-world scenarios.

The data collected during these tests will be crucial for the Army Test and Evaluation Command and the Department of Defense.

It will inform future programs, budgets, and, ultimately, the operational deployment of these microwave defense systems.

Epirus CEO Andy Lowery expressed his enthusiasm for the results:

“We were able to demonstrate effects that we haven’t done in this close to a real-world environment, including coordinated fires for additional range and advanced waveforms for greater effectivity.”

Lowery further emphasized that their evaluations of various systems within a larger framework have clarified their capabilities, limitations, and requirements.

Crucially, he confirmed the effectiveness of their High Power Microwave systems in countering drones and swarms, positioning them as a vital component of a multi-layered defense strategy.

Soldiers Prepared for the Future Battlefield

But the success goes beyond technical prowess, as soldier training is paramount.

The troops who will be wielding these futuristic weapons underwent comprehensive training (NET) in March, followed by participation in the EDT. This hands-on experience ensures a smooth transition when the IFPC-HPM systems are integrated into operational units.

The video below shows a representative from Epirus explaining what the company’s high-power microwave systems can offer for the Navy’s drone swarm threat last year.

The US Army’s embrace of high-powered microwave technology signifies a new era in drone warfare. This innovative weapon offers a powerful, non-kinetic solution that can effectively neutralize drone swarms, protecting soldiers and critical infrastructure from these ever-present threats.

As the technology matures and is deployed, the battlefield will undoubtedly transform, with microwave beams becoming a familiar sight alongside traditional weapons.