The US Marine Corps has selected Epirus to provide a new mobile high-power microwave capability for countering drone swarms. The $11 million contract covers the High-power Microwave Autonomous Vehicle Operational Capability, known as HAVOC, which is based on the company’s Leonidas directed-energy technology.
HAVOC is designed around a universal sled mount that can be installed on different manned and unmanned ground vehicles. This configuration gives the Marine Corps the ability to integrate the system with multiple vehicle types rather than limiting the capability to a single platform.
The system builds on Epirus’ Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm capability, delivered to the Marine Corps in 2025. Leonidas uses solid-state high-power microwave components and gallium nitride amplifiers to generate electromagnetic energy for engaging multiple unmanned aerial systems.
Epirus says HAVOC will represent an improvement over the earlier system, with reportedly three times the power as well as increased range and ruggedness. The system will also incorporate autonomous features intended to reduce the workload on operators during counter-drone operations.
HAVOC will provide a non-kinetic option for dealing with drone threats. It is intended to complement the Marine Corps’ existing low-altitude air-defence capabilities within a layered defence network.
The system could be used to protect important forward-deployed assets, including radars, communications equipment, refueling locations, power systems and other air-defence resources. Its vehicle-mounted design should also allow the capability to move with units and be deployed closer to areas requiring protection.
Another element of HAVOC is its software-driven high-power microwave architecture. The design is intended to increase coverage and power output while allowing continuous tuning of the system’s operation.
The contract also provides for training, maintenance and sustainment services. Additional options could expand the programme further. Overall, the Marine Corps’ investment in HAVOC highlights the growing importance of directed-energy systems as part of efforts to defend military forces against increasingly common drone threats.
