AeroVironment, Epirus, Kord and Boeing systems will enter an operational pilot led by Joint Interagency Task Force 401.
The U.S. Department of War selected four directed-energy systems for operational testing in a counter-drone pilot. Joint Interagency Task Force 401, which coordinates homeland counter-UAS efforts, will lead the program. Defense publications Breaking Defense and Inside Defense reported the selection on October 5.
The systems are AeroVironment’s Palletized High-Energy Laser, Epirus’s Leonidas high-powered microwave, Kord’s Firefly laser and Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System. The pilot will evaluate how they perform and can be maintained in operational settings, rather than only on a test range.
High-energy lasers focus a beam on part of an aircraft to heat and damage components. They must hold the beam on the target, and atmospheric conditions can affect performance. High-powered microwave systems act on drone electronics. The U.S. Navy says their broader beams can affect several electronic targets at once.
The Army has described directed energy as potentially offering a lower cost per engagement and more shots before reloading than kinetic interceptors. Those are potential advantages, not reported test results. Selection for the pilot does not mean the systems are already deployed across the military.