Fell In A Swoop: Microwave Weapon 'Leonidas' Neutralises 49-Drone Swarm In A Single Pulse

Hyderabad: Drones have irrevocably transformed modern warfare, giving birth to a battlefield that hums with the sound of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Over the past few years, the adoption of this technology has surged at an alarming pace, driven by cost-effectiveness and a wide array of tactical advantages that range from logistics and surveillance to precision strikes, enemy signal disruption, swarm attacks, and much more.

The use of drones has reshaped global conflicts into more lethal and prolonged battles, thus triggering the development of countermeasures, which include anti-drone weapons or counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS). One such solution is Epirus' Leonidas, a high-power microwave (HPM) system that weaponises electromagnetic interference to counter swarms of UAVs.

The effectiveness of an anti-drone system varies as per its technology and how it handles a swarm attack, where multiple drones operate in coordinated groups. Leonidas HPM system, however, not only showcased its precision and scalability but also its capability to handle a swarm.

During a live-fire demonstration last month, Leonidas successfully took care of 61 drones across five different flight scenarios, showcasing a 100 per cent success rate. The highlight of the event was its defeat of a 49-drone swarm using a single, low-collateral pulse of high-energy electromagnetic interference. The video footage shared by Epirus showcases a sky full of drones, all of which suddenly fell to the ground as if someone cut their rope.

The other flight scenarios included the following:

• Multi-angle counter-swarm engagement: Defeated two groups of drones approaching from opposite directions.
• Selective targeting: Precisely disabled a chosen drone while sparing another nearby.
• Precision intercept: Dropped a single drone into a designated safe zone with minimal collateral.
• Multi-target engagement: Simultaneously defeated three drones at varying distances.

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

Epirus said that the event demonstrated the first generation of Leonidas, which was designed and developed in 2022. The company already has a new version of Leonidas—unveiled in July 2025—which is expected to have more than double the operational range and lethality over the first-gen system in the same form factor.