– Epirus has released video footage showing its Leonidas VehicleKit (VK) high-power microwave (HPM) platform successfully disabling a fiber-optic guided unmanned aerial system (UAS) during a December 2025 live-fire technology demonstration at a U.S. government testing site.
The event marks the first known instance of weaponized electromagnetic interference defeating a fiber-optic guided drone.
Fiber-optic first-person-view (FPV) drones have emerged as a significant challenge in contested environments, particularly in Ukraine, where they are used daily for one-way attacks and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Unlike conventional UAS that rely on radio-frequency (RF) links for control, fiber-optic FPV drones are tethered to their operators by long, thin spools of fiber-optic cable. Because they operate without an RF command-and-control link, these systems are effectively immune to jamming, spoofing, and other legacy electronic warfare counter-UAS techniques.
Leonidas defeats fiber-optic guided drones by delivering precise, software-defined, weaponized electromagnetic interference that induces a full kill within critical onboard electronics. The system does not rely on kinetic interception or RF disruption. Leonidas employs non-ionizing radiation, making it inherently safe for humans when used as intended, and uses highly directional, phased-array antennas to focus energy only on identified target areas. Its near-instantaneous effects allow operators to influence a drone’s drop zone, reducing the risk of collateral damage.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov has stated that Russian forces are fielding fiber-optic FPV drones with ranges of up to 31 miles, calling them “a very considerable threat to logistics and personnel.” An August 2025 U.S. Army analysis similarly concluded that fiber-optic FPV drones pose a “significant counter-UAS challenge” and are “extremely difficult to detect and target.”
“The proliferation of fiber-optic guided UAS represents a major shift in drone warfare and exposes a growing gap in counter-UAS defenses,” said Epirus CEO Andy Lowery. “Leonidas’ ability to defeat this emerging threat is a critical breakthrough in safe, non-kinetic defense and reinforces Epirus’ leadership in scalable, one-to-many counter-UAS solutions.”
Source: Epirus
A simple Faraday cage might be enough to defeat this microwave attack and may even be able to convert the incoming microwave power into electricity for the battery on the drone. If this can’t work please advise why.
Perhaps you might like to ask Epirus:
https://www.epirusinc.com/contact
Unless any other reader has answer…?