The Pentagon has selected four directed-energy weapons for a homeland counter-drone pilot, identifying the first systems the military plans to field and test at U.S. bases under a program ordered by Congress. The selection includes AeroVironment’s Palletized High-Energy Laser, Epirus’ Leonidas high-powered microwave, Kord’s Firefly high-energy laser and Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System, the Defense News report said.
The pilot is being run by Joint Interagency Task Force 401, an Army-led organization established last year to coordinate counter-drone work across the military and other federal agencies. The task force plans to collect real-time data on system performance, cost and the personnel and logistics required to operate and maintain the weapons.
Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, the task force director, said the pilot will run for one year, with service members operating and maintaining the systems at the participating bases. JIATF-401 is coordinating the effort with the military services, U.S. Northern Command and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The five selected locations are Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Fort Bliss, Texas; Naval Base Kitsap, Washington; Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota; and Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. Fort Huachuca and Fort Bliss are tied to the southern border mission. Deployment plans were to be developed with installation commanders over 180 days, with operations expected later this year.
The Pentagon has not identified which weapon will go to each base, how many systems will be deployed or the cost of the weapons and the pilot. Those details matter because the test is intended to measure more than the price of an individual engagement. Directed-energy systems are promoted as cheaper to fire than missiles or even gun rounds, but Ross has cautioned that procurement, maintenance and low usage can change the calculation. “If I procure that system and it costs me $6 million and I take one shot a year, you can’t tell me that that shot only costs 8 cents,” he said in August.
The selected systems also represent two different approaches to countering drones. A high-energy laser concentrates energy on one aircraft until it is disabled, while a high-powered microwave can affect multiple drones by overwhelming their electronics. Leonidas is the only microwave system in the pilot. It forms the basis of the Army’s prototype high-power microwave effort for defending troops and sites against drone swarms.
AeroVironment’s weapon is a palletized version of its LOCUST laser, designed to be moved by truck or ship and set up where needed. Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System is a lower-power, more mobile laser, while Kord markets Firefly as a palletized laser scalable from 5 to 40 kilowatts. Epirus has said a Leonidas system disabled 61 target drones across five scenarios at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, including a 49-drone swarm in one burst.
The pilot follows a safety issue involving a counter-drone laser near Fort Bliss. In February, the Federal Aviation Administration briefly closed airspace over El Paso after a laser was used without coordination with the agency. Defense and FAA officials later held a live-fire demonstration at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The FAA said on April 10 that the tested laser systems, when used with proper safety controls, did not pose undue risk to passenger aircraft.
The Pentagon will continue evaluating other directed-energy systems and plans to hold a December shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, for additional laser and microwave candidates. Ross said systems that perform well could move quickly toward purchase orders and production, while the current pilot is intended to provide operational, cost and sustainment data from the five participating bases.