On Jan 13, Epirus announced that its Leonidas VehicleKit high‑power microwave platform successfully disabled a fiber‑optic guided unmanned aerial system during a December 2025 live‑fire demonstration at a U.S. government testing site.
The event marked the first documented use of electromagnetic interference to defeat a fiber‑optic controlled drone, representing a milestone in non‑kinetic counter‑UAS technology development.
Breaking Through a New Drone Threat Class
Fiber‑optic first person view drones have quickly become a defining tactic in contested environments such as Ukraine. These systems connect pilots to aircraft using spooled fiber‑optic cable rather than traditional radio frequency links.
Without an RF command link, they are immune to jamming, spoofing, and the full range of legacy electronic warfare countermeasures. Their use for one‑way attacks and intelligence missions has expanded rapidly, and defense stakeholders have identified them as an urgent operational challenge.
During the demonstration, the Leonidas high‑power microwave platform induced a full system kill by delivering software‑defined electromagnetic interference into critical onboard electronics. This non‑ionizing radiation approach avoids kinetic engagement and allows operators to influence where a disabled drone ultimately lands, reducing the risk of collateral damage.
The system’s phased array antennas concentrate energy only on validated target areas, providing precision effects even in dense operational environments.
Growing Global Concern
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has highlighted the severity of the threat, noting that Russian forces are fielding fiber‑optic FPV drones with ranges of up to 31 miles and describing them as “a very considerable threat to logistics and personnel.”
U.S. Army analysis published in August 2025 reached similar conclusions, labeling them as “posing a significant counter-UAS challenge” and “extremely difficult to detect and target.”
Epirus CEO Andy Lowery added:
“The proliferation of fiber-optic guided UAS represents a major shift in drone warfare and exposes a growing operational gap for counter-UAS defenses — one that Leonidas is designed to address and close. Leonidas’ ability to defeat this new class of threat represents an important breakthrough in safe, non-kinetic defense against emerging drone tactics and reinforces Epirus’ leadership in scalable, one-to-many counter-UAS platform development.”
About Epirus
Epirus is a technology company focused on advanced energy‑based systems for national security applications. The Leonidas platform uses intelligent power management to deliver high‑power microwave effects suitable for counter‑UAS missions in complex environments.
For more information or media inquiries, the company directs users to contact media@epirusinc.com.
Crédit photographique : Epirus
