Epirus has announced the development of Leonidas Expeditionary, a high-power microwave (HPM) system, as part of a $5.5 million contract from the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR). The system, known as the Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm (ExDECS), is being developed in partnership with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) and the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO).
ExDECS will support the US Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) and counter-unmanned systems missions. The system is a a solid-state, software-defined, long-pulse HPM weapon designed to be compact, manoeuvrable and adaptable for a range of expeditionary force missions.
Its initial integration with the Marine Corps’ Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S) will be followed by field experimentation and testing across multiple platforms to improve the Marine Corps’ ground-based air defence capabilities.
Andy Lowery, CEO of Epirus, highlighted the growing significance of drone warfare, stating:
“With drone warfare dominating daily headlines, we are proud to bring ExDECS to life and work with the Marine Corps to develop an expeditionary HPM capability, he said. “We are committed to accelerating the delivery of operational HPM capabilities for C-UAS across the joint force.”
Leonidas Expeditionary is a compact, scalable version of Epirus’ existing Leonidas HPM product suite. By reducing the system’s size and weight, Epirus aims to provide greater mobility and flexibility for operators. The system is designed to be mounted on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) trailer and is expected to complement low-altitude air defence operations during expeditionary missions.
Epirus is expected to deliver the completed ExDECS system to the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab by the end of 2024.
Post Image Credit: Epirus
