Epirus has publicly demonstrated that high-power microwave weapons can counter fiber-optic guided FPV drones, a class of unmanned threats engineered to bypass conventional electronic warfare systems. The company released footage showing its Leonidas VehicleKit disabling a fiber-optic FPV drone during a December 2025 live-fire event at a U.S. government test facility. The trial highlights growing concern among U.S. and allied militaries that inexpensive, hard-to-jam drones are undermining existing force protection and base defense frameworks.
Unlike conventional small drones that depend on radio-frequency links, fiber-optic FPV drones trail a physical cable connecting the aircraft to its operator. This design removes the RF control channel entirely, allowing the drone to remain fully controllable in environments saturated with jamming and electronic attack. As demonstrated in Ukraine, such systems can conduct one-way attack missions or close-range reconnaissance with high resilience, forcing defenders to seek alternatives beyond traditional counter-UAS tools.
Leonidas addresses this challenge by focusing on the drone’s internal electronics rather than its guidance link. Epirus describes the system as delivering directed electromagnetic energy capable of shutting down flight computers, navigation processors, and power systems. Even with uninterrupted operator control through fiber optics, the drone cannot function if its electronics are disabled, making high-power microwave effects particularly well-suited to defeating this emerging threat category.
The Leonidas system belongs to a new generation of directed-energy weapons optimized for repeatable, non-kinetic engagements. Its modular, open-architecture design allows integration with existing sensor and command-and-control systems, while gallium nitride-based amplifiers enable high power output with reduced thermal burden. Featuring rapid field maintenance and 360-degree coverage, Leonidas reflects a shift toward scalable, inventory-independent counter-drone solutions shaped directly by lessons from the Ukraine conflict and the proliferation of low-cost FPV attack drones.
