We're getting that fry-day feeling... US Army gets hold of drone-cooking microwave rig
The US Army has taken delivery of its first drone-cooking weapon designed to knock unmanned aerial systems (UAS) out of the air using high-powered microwave beams.
We're told this hardware, developed by defense contractor Epirus, can even take care of entire drone swarms.
With this gear in hand, the Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) now has its
first Indirect Fire Protection Capability - High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) machine to protect military assets from cheap, readily available drones.
As has been the case in Ukraine since Russia invaded last year, drones are being fielded by
both sides in large
numbers to
devastating effect. While the US Army is not directly engaged in ground conflicts where drones are a serious threat, things are unlikely to stay that way for long, making developing a system able to deal with individual and
swarm drones an essential part of future warfare, it's felt.
"Leonidas counter-electronics system demonstrated lethality against a broad range of UAS and electronic systems and achieved swarm defeat at multiple US government-sponsored test events, outperforming six down-selected systems," the manufacturer said in January when announcing its $66.1 million supply contract with the US Army.
Look, in the sky - it's a, oh, never mind
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