Epirus Leonidas

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The Leonidas is a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon developed to disable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms. It was named after Leonidas of Epirus.

Contents

Design and development

Epirus was founded in 2018 to enter the counter-drone market and it unveiled the Leonidas in 2020. The threat of small drones, especially cheap consumer models, is difficult to counter in large numbers using traditional kinetic means. Against regular air defenses, cheap drones can be deployed in large numbers to overwhelm a defender or force them to expend more expensive interceptors. Leonidas is designed as a directed energy weapon that fires electromagnetic pulse (EMP) beams to disable electronics. The system is able to pick individual targets or cover a large area in wide beam mode to affect any electronic device that passes through. While it was intended to be used against airborne drone threats, it has the ability to knock out ground vehicles and sea vessels; it works against any electronics, and has been demonstrated to disable an outboard ship motor. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Due to its use of gallium nitride transistors previously used in radars instead of magnetron vacuum tubes, Leonidas can maintain a durable microwave beam while being smaller and requiring less power. As a directed EMP, the system has advantages over other DEWs; lasers can only be used against one target at a time while an HPM can focus on a large area, and it works against autonomous UAVs with no link back to an operator that radio jamming would be ineffective against. Because it is software-based, it is able to discriminate between enemy and friendly aircraft, allowing it to take down enemy drones while enabling friendly ones to operate in the same vicinity. The original configuration was as a towed trailer. In October 2021, Epirus and General Dynamics announced they were teaming to integrate Leonidas onto the Stryker to provide mobile short-range air defense. Epirus unveiled the Leonidas Pod in February 2022 capable of being carried by a heavy-lift UAV. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] The Leonidas Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm (ExDECS) was unveiled in September 2024 as a small version for mobile forces such as the U.S. Marine Corps. [8]

On 23 January 2023, Epirus was awarded a $66.1 million contract by the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) to deliver the Leonidas to the U.S. Army as part of the Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) program after outperforming six other systems. Four prototypes were to be produced by 2024 and then transitioned to a program of record in 2025. [4] [7] [9] [10] Epirus announced on 1 November 2023 that the first prototype had been delivered [11] and all four were delivered by March 2024. [12] [13] Some of the IFPC-HPM prototypes are to be deployed to CENTCOM to see how they perform in a real-world environment. [14]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Leonidas microwave energy weapon can disable swarms of drones at once. New Atlas. 26 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 General Dynamics, Epirus team up to integrate counter-drone swarm system on combat vehicles. Defense News . 25 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 Epirus debuts high-power microwave pod for drones. Defense News . 14 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 US Army awards contract for microwave weapon to counter drone swarms. New Atlas. 24 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Strykers To Get New Counter-Drone Tech With General Dynamics, Epirus Partnership. Breaking Defense. 25 October 2021.
  6. ↑ Drones Shooting Microwave Rays Could Be the Drone Killers of Tomorrow. Defense One. 13 February 2022.
  7. 1 2 Is This New Microwave Weapon the Answer to Iranian Drones?. Defense One. 23 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Marines to receive new system for zapping drone swarms out of the sky. Marine Corps Times . 30 September 2024.
  9. ↑ Epirus wins $66M Army contract for drone-frying Leonidas microwave kit. Defense News . 23 January 2023.
  10. ↑ US Army selects Epirus’ Leonidas for high-power microwave initiative. Breaking Defense. 23 January 2023.
  11. ↑ Army gets first high-power microwave prototype to counter drone swarms. Defense News . 1 November 2023.
  12. ↑ U.S. Navy Set to Test Epirus’ Drone-Disabling HPM Technology Against Seaborne Attack Vessels. Epirus Inc. 4 April 2024.
  13. ↑ Army soldiers not impressed with Strykers outfitted with 50-kilowatt lasers, service official says. Breaking Defense. 16 May 2024.
  14. ↑ CENTCOM bound: Army soldiers slated to test high-power microwaves against drone swarms. Breaking Defense. 21 May 2024.
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