The selected systems are AeroVironment’s Palletised High-Energy Laser, Epirus’ Leonidas high-powered microwave, Kord’s Firefly laser and Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System. They will enter an operational pilot led by the Army-run Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401), which coordinates counter-drone efforts across the military and federal agencies.
The programme is intended to move directed-energy weapons beyond demonstrations and assess their use in routine base defence. JIATF-401 will gather real-time information on performance, operational requirements, costs and maintenance, with service members operating and sustaining the systems. Officials have said the pilot is planned to run for a year. The selection follows a mandate in the fiscal 2026 National Defence Authorisation Act.
The systems use two distinct approaches. AeroVironment, Kord and Boeing offer high-energy lasers, which concentrate a beam on a target and must hold it there long enough to damage it. Epirus’ Leonidas uses high-power microwaves to disrupt drone electronics, potentially engaging multiple aircraft in a swarm with a single pulse. The Pentagon has not publicly specified which system will go to each installation, how many will be deployed or the total cost of the pilot.
The task force previously identified five possible host sites: Fort Huachuca in Arizona, Fort Bliss in Texas, Naval Base Kitsap in Washington, Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Their varied locations and missions offer a chance to test systems in different operating conditions, including at two installations associated with the southern border.
The practical test will extend beyond whether a weapon can defeat a drone. Bases must determine how to power, operate and maintain the systems, and how to fit them into existing defences without disrupting other missions. JIATF-401 director Brig Gen Matt Ross has emphasised that the evaluation should establish the systems’ full costs-not simply the price of an individual shot-and help services compare them with conventional interceptors and other defences.
The weapons are intended to complement, not replace, other layers of air defence. Lasers can offer a precise option against individual targets, while a microwave system may be useful against groups of electronically vulnerable drones. But performance will depend on operational conditions, including how systems are integrated with sensors and command networks, and whether they can be safely used near other equipment and aircraft.
That safety question has particular weight for domestic installations. In February, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily closed airspace near El Paso after a counter-drone laser incident exposed a coordination problem between agencies. A subsequent live-fire demonstration at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico involved coordination with the FAA. The agency later said tested laser systems, with proper controls, did not pose undue risk to passenger aircraft; that finding should not be read as a blanket clearance for every weapon or operating scenario in the new pilot.
The microwave system also raises questions distinct from laser safety. Its broad electromagnetic effect could challenge operators to control where energy goes and avoid unintended effects on nearby electronics. Testing in real operational settings may help determine how such risks are managed, alongside the system’s ability to counter multiple drones.
The Pentagon plans to assess additional laser and microwave technologies at a December shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. Systems that perform well could be considered for further acquisition, making the pilot an early step in a wider effort to build a layered response to increasingly capable drone threats.
