REPORT: US Army Demonstrates Epirus Leonidas Electromagnetic Weapon to Neutralize 49 Drones Simultaneously.

On August 28, 2025, a swarm of 49 quadcopter drones was brought down within seconds during a test organized by Epirus at the Indiana National Guard base at Camp Atterbury. The Leonidas system, developed by the California-based company, used high-power electromagnetic waves to simultaneously disable the onboard electronics of all the aircraft. The exercise was conducted in front of U.S. military officials, foreign delegations, and journalists, including Mike and Colin Demarest of Axios Future of Defense. The drones crashed into a nearby field after losing control systems, confirming the system’s capacity to neutralize a multiple-drone threat.
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Leonidas operates through directed energy technology that employs high-power microwaves (Picture source: Epirus)

The test took place in the context of growing evaluations of non-kinetic technologies designed to counter drone swarms, which are now regarded as one of the most serious challenges to both military and civilian security. Such swarms can overwhelm existing defenses, target bases, critical infrastructure, or sensitive sites, and call into question traditional approaches to air defense.

Leonidas operates through directed energy technology that employs high-power microwaves. Unlike jamming, which cannot affect autonomous drones or those linked by fiber optic connections, or lasers that require precise targeting of each individual platform, Leonidas covers a wider area and can disable multiple targets with a single shot. This reduces interception costs compared with kinetic systems, which expend a missile or munition on each engagement.

The Leonidas product family includes several configurations tailored to different operational requirements. The standard version provides a stationary counter-electronics solution, while Leonidas Mobile is integrated onto military vehicles to deliver protection against drones and swarms for maneuvering forces. Leonidas Pod, designed for airborne applications, incorporates long-pulse microwave technology in a lighter format, making it adaptable for use on aircraft and other defense platforms. This modularity contributed to its selection for the U.S. Army’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) program, confirming its role in modernization initiatives for electronic defense.

In parallel, U.S. forces are testing other high-power microwave systems. During Exercise Balikatan 2025 in the Philippines, the U.S. Army deployed its IFPC-HPM for the first time in the Indo-Pacific, alongside the Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aerial System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS). These trials, conducted by the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force with the participation of the Philippine Air Force and U.S. Marines, demonstrated the ability to counter drone swarms in a tropical environment. FS-LIDS provided detection and tracking functions, while the IFPC-HPM disabled identified targets, establishing a layered non-kinetic defense.

The results of these activities are being assessed by the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, which oversees the development and prototyping of the U.S. Army’s directed energy weapons. The aim is to enhance the effectiveness of these systems against swarms of drones and guide future capability requirements for the land forces.

Founded in 2018, Epirus has worked with the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps and has previously tested Leonidas in the Middle East and in the Philippines. Its chief executive officer, Andy Lowery, a former U.S. Navy officer, argues that drones represent a “sixth domain” of warfare, adding to air, land, sea, space, and cyber. Their large-scale and coordinated use undermines traditional defenses and requires the adoption of dedicated technologies to address this evolving threat.

The Camp Atterbury test and the joint Balikatan 2025 exercises underline the growing role of electromagnetic weapons in the modernization of air defense systems. Although limitations remain, particularly in range compared with laser weapons, the demonstrated ability to disable drone swarms simultaneously highlights the operational relevance of these systems in contemporary conflicts and in the protection of strategic sites.