"How it happened: Defense contractor Epirus this week demonstrated its drone-frying Leonidas to observers from various U.S. military services and foreign countries, including some in the Indo-Pacific. Axios was the only media on hand for the Atterbury tests, about 45 minutes south of downtown Indianapolis. In the climax of the two-hour show, Leonidas went up against 49 quadcopters, the largest grouping it's ever faced."
"The big picture: The drone-counter-drone game is upending military spending and power dynamics while, at the same time, forcing a rethink of stateside security (consider power plants or the upcoming World Cup). The lines are blurring between missile and unmanned. Armored vehicles and deeply dug trenches are no refuge. Apex predators of the battlefield, like tanks, are having their claims contested. Domestically, the Northeast's drone madness late last year underscores how ill-prepared the U.S. is for a real overhead incursion."
Epirus demonstrated Leonidas, a high-powered microwave counter-drone system, to observers from multiple U.S. military services and foreign countries. The system disabled 49 quadcopters simultaneously at Atterbury tests near Indianapolis using a "forcefield system" that weaponizes electromagnetic interference and requires no kinetic projectiles. Epirus has tested its weapons in the Middle East and at the Philippines' Balikatan exercise and works with the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The company raised $250 million and promotes a "sixth domain" doctrine emphasizing overwhelming numbers of cheap, networked systems. The system is being pitched for protection at stadiums, ports, airports, and other critical sites.
Read at Axios
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