The Pentagon has selected four directed-energy weapons for a homeland counter-drone pilot that will field and test the systems at U.S. military bases. The systems are AeroVironment’s Palletized High-Energy Laser, Epirus’ Leonidas high-powered microwave, Kord’s Firefly high-energy laser and Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System, Defense News reported, citing a Defense Department release.
The pilot is being run by Joint Interagency Task Force 401, an Army-led organization established to coordinate counter-drone work across the military and other federal agencies. The program was ordered by Congress and is intended to collect operational data on system performance, cost, operation and maintenance requirements.
Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, JIATF-401’s director, said the pilot will test lasers and high-powered microwaves in an operational environment. Service members are expected to operate and maintain the weapons during a one-year pilot, while the task force coordinates with the military services, U.S. Northern Command and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The five installations identified for the pilot 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 connected 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 installation, how many systems will be fielded or the total cost of the pilot. Those details will shape the comparison between the four systems, particularly because lasers and microwave weapons address different counter-drone problems.
A high-energy laser engages one drone at a time by dwelling on the target until it is damaged or destroyed. A high-powered microwave can affect multiple drones in a swarm by overwhelming their electronics, although its broader effect area creates concerns about impacts on nearby systems. The pilot is designed to examine those operational tradeoffs alongside cost and sustainment demands.
Directed-energy weapons are often promoted as having lower engagement costs than missiles or gun ammunition, and they do not leave unexploded ordnance. Ross has cautioned that the price of an individual shot does not capture the full expense of procuring and operating a weapon. As he put it, “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,” Defense News reported.
AeroVironment’s selection is a palletized version of its LOCUST laser, designed to be moved by truck or ship and set up where needed. The company has said a palletized LOCUST tracked and defeated target drones during an October 2025 live-fire event aboard the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush. The Army also awarded AeroVironment a $464.8 million contract in September for 30-kilowatt LOCUST X3 production, although the Pentagon has not said whether pilot systems will come from that procurement.
Boeing’s CLWS is a lower-power laser intended to be smaller and easier to move, though lower power generally requires longer dwell time on a target. Boeing said in 2024 that a 5-kilowatt CLWS defeated Group 3 drones at the Red Sands counter-drone exercise in Saudi Arabia and had defeated nearly 500 drones in testing and demonstrations. Kord markets Firefly as a palletized mobile laser scalable from 5 to 40 kilowatts; company officials said a truck-mounted version typically needs several seconds on a small drone.
Epirus’ Leonidas is the only microwave system selected. It forms the basis for an Army prototype high-power microwave intended to defend troops and sites against drone swarms. Epirus said in September 2025 that Leonidas disabled all 61 target drones across five scenarios at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, including a 49-drone swarm in one burst.
The pilot follows a February incident in which the FAA briefly closed airspace over El Paso, Texas, after a counter-drone laser was used near Fort Bliss without FAA coordination. Defense and aviation officials later held a live-fire demonstration at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The FAA said in April that tested laser systems, when used with proper safety controls, did not pose undue risk to passenger aircraft.
The department plans to continue evaluating other directed-energy systems and will hold a December shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. Ross said systems that perform well could move quickly to purchase orders intended to begin production. The directed-energy pilot is also part of the wider Domestic Shield effort, under which JIATF-401 has awarded contracts for sensors, optical sights and gun-based counter-drone systems.