Pentagon counter-drone task force selects four directed energy systems for December shoot-off

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The Pentagon's counter-drone task force has selected four directed energy weapons for a December shoot-off, aiming to identify lasers and microwave systems capable of defending U.S. military installations from future aerial attacks.

The three laser weapons and one microwave system are the first selected for the Joint Interagency Task Force 401's (JIATF 401) counter-unmanned aircraft systems directed energy pilot program, according to a Pentagon announcement. The pilot is a congressional requirement in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

"High-energy lasers and high-powered microwave systems are tools that can be effectively used in a layered drone defense," Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF 401, said in the announcement. "This pilot program will test these capabilities in an operational environment so we can understand how best to integrate and sustain them to defend the homeland."

Selected Weapon Systems

The four systems selected for the shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, are:

• AeroVironment's Palletized High-Energy Laser system
• Epirus' Leonidas High-Powered Microwave system
• Kord Technologies' Firefly High-Energy Laser system
• Boeing's Compact Laser Weapon system

Background and Context

In May, JIATF 401 selected Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., and Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.—along with Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; Fort Bliss, Texas; and Naval Base Kitsap, Wash.—to "support rigorous testing and operational assessments across diverse environments" for the pilot effort. U.S. Northern Command and the Federal Aviation Administration are also involved in the pilot, the announcement states.

The announcement comes seven months after an incident involving the firing of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down all flight traffic over El Paso. The Pentagon and the FAA subsequently completed a "data-informed Safety Risk Assessment" of a high-energy laser counter-drone system, which found that the technology does "not pose undue risk to passenger aircraft."

System Details

• Epirus' Leonidas is the only high-powered microwave selected for the shoot-off so far. The Army awarded a $43.5 million contract to Epirus in July 2025, including delivery of two Integrated Fires Protection Capability High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM Generation II) systems, which use "weaponized electromagnetic interference" to down drones.

• AeroVironment's Palletized High-Energy Laser features the firm's LOCUST X3, a 30-kilowatt system the Army selected in September with a production contract valued at roughly $465 million.

• Boeing's Compact Laser Weapon is available in 2-kilowatt and 5-kilowatt versions. The 5-kilowatt system plugged into the Army's Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control network to defeat Group 3 drones weighing up to 1,320 pounds during the September 2024 Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center in Saudi Arabia, according to Boeing.

• Kord's Firefly High-Energy Laser is a palletized, mobile system with scalable power from 5-kilowatts up to 30-kilowatts. It relies on advanced AI detection and tracking algorithms to "detect, track, intercept and defeat incoming drones at standoff ranges," according to Kord, a subsidiary of KBR.

Future Evaluations

JIATF 401 plans to evaluate additional directed energy technologies that could be selected to participate in the shoot-off event, according to the announcement.

"Directed energy gives commanders another option within a layered defense, complementing existing counter-UAS capabilities with a scalable, safe, and effective way to respond to drone threats," Ross said. "This pilot program will give us vital information in a real-world environment so we can employ these systems to protect the homeland."

Broader Air Force Efforts

The Air Force is working to enhance its counter-drone capabilities for base defense, a mission it refers to as "point defense." The service's primary weapon system for this role is the Small Unmanned Air Defense Systems (SUADS). The system can identify and track enemy missiles or drones of multiple sizes and down incoming drones with an electronic warfare weapon, though officials have declined to identify that system. It can also interface with commercial counter-drone systems and other air defense systems, depending on a commander's needs.

It remains unclear how much the service has spent or plans to spend on new counter-drone technology. The Air Force requested more than $1.5 billion for SUADS in the fiscal 2027 budget, most of it for missile defense components, according to budget documents. Additional counter-drone systems are being acquired with assistance from JIATF 401, but those are not listed in the budget request, and both Air Force and JIATF 401 officials have declined to provide funding details.

The Air Force Research Laboratory has experimented with high-powered microwave systems to down drones. In 2023, AFRL used the Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR) to disable a drone swarm.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org