US-based technology firm Epirus has demonstrated the first neutralization of a fiber-optic-guided drone using its Leonidas high-power microwave system, highlighting a potential non-kinetic counter to platforms immune to electronic-warfare effects.
The achievement marks a step beyond earlier demonstrations in which Leonidas defeated conventional drones reliant on radio-frequency control links and are therefore vulnerable to electronic jamming.
To counter fiber-optic-controlled drones, which are immune to jamming, spoofing, and other legacy electronic warfare measures, the system delivers precise, software-defined electromagnetic energy that disables critical onboard electronics, Epirus explained.
Leonidas uses non-ionizing radiation and highly directional phased-array antennas to focus energy on targets, minimizing collateral damage and ensuring operator safety.
Leonidas Platform
Available in both fixed and mobile configurations, Leonidas uses high‑power solid‑state microwave energy to disable electronics, emitting steerable electromagnetic pulses thousands of times per second.
Equipped with a digitally beamformed antenna, it can discriminate a single target among many or engage a wide area simultaneously in broad-beam mode, enabling the defeat of drone swarms, as demonstrated in September.
Built on an open-systems architecture with modular hardware, the counter-drone system supports integration with customer command-and-control networks for unmanned aerial system (UAS) detection, tracking, and engagement.
Countering Fiber-Optic Drones
Highlighting the significance of the latest demonstration, Epirus noted that fiber-optic first-person view (FPV) drones have emerged as a major challenge for non-kinetic counter-drone solutions.
In the Ukraine conflict, both sides have employed these drones extensively for one-way attacks and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has stated that Russian forces are fielding fiber-optic FPV drones with a range of 31 miles (50 kilometers), calling them “a very considerable threat to logistics and personnel.”
Epirus CEO Andy Lowery said: “The proliferation of fiber-optic guided UAS represents a major shift in drone warfare and exposes a growing operational gap for counter-UAS defenses — one that Leonidas is designed to address and close.”
“Leonidas’ ability to defeat this new class of threat represents an important breakthrough in safe, non-kinetic defense against emerging drone tactics and reinforces Epirus’ leadership in scalable, one-to-many counter-UAS platform development.”
