U.S. counter-drone technology firm Epirus has demonstrated that high-power microwave (HPM) weapons can defeat fiber-optic guided first-person-view (FPV) drones, a growing threat specifically designed to evade traditional electronic warfare defenses. Video footage released by the company shows its Leonidas VehicleKit system disabling an FPV unmanned aerial system during a live-fire trial conducted in December 2025 at a U.S. government test range. According to Epirus, the demonstration validates the use of directed-energy effects against resilient drone threats increasingly observed on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Fiber-optic FPV drones represent a significant challenge for existing counter-UAS architectures because they eliminate radio-frequency command links. Instead of relying on wireless control, these drones maintain a physical fiber-optic connection between the operator and the aircraft, rendering RF jamming and spoofing largely ineffective. This capability allows FPV attack drones to operate reliably in heavily contested electromagnetic environments, conduct precision strikes, and maintain ISR missions even where electronic warfare saturation would normally suppress drone activity.
Epirus positions Leonidas as a direct response to this evolution by targeting drone electronics rather than their communications. The system employs software-defined, weaponized electromagnetic interference to disrupt critical onboard components, including flight control systems, processors, and power management units. By inducing electronic failure rather than kinetic destruction, Leonidas can neutralize drones even when control remains intact through fiber-optic links, addressing a key vulnerability exploited by modern FPV designs.
Leonidas is based on high-power microwave technology and has undergone rapid development since its introduction in 2020. A third-generation version unveiled in 2022 delivers more than double the output of earlier models and can be deployed on a vehicle or trailer-mounted platform with 360-degree coverage. Built around gallium nitride semiconductors and a digitally beamformed antenna, the system is designed for scalable base defense, rapid maintenance, and seamless integration with command-and-control networks—offering militaries a sustainable, non-kinetic solution against mass drone attacks.
