Marines deploy first high-power microwave weapon to combat drone swarms

• The U.S. Marine Corps has adopted the Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm (ExDECS) system, a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon developed by Epirus, marking a significant advancement in anti-drone technology. This portable directed-energy weapon is designed to neutralize enemy drone swarms, providing a non-kinetic solution that disables electronics without destroying them.
• Drones have become a staple in modern warfare, with adversaries deploying swarms to overwhelm defenses, conduct surveillance and execute kamikaze attacks. The U.S. Department of Defense acknowledges that adversarial drone capabilities are evolving faster than current countermeasures, particularly as drones become more autonomous and resistant to electronic jamming.
• ExDECS offers a low-cost, wide-area defense by disabling multiple drones with a single microwave beam, effectively “frying” their avionics. This system provides a decisive advantage in fast-paced environments, with a per-strike cost of just five cents, making it a cost-effective solution for sustained engagement against drone swarms.
• ExDECS complements the Marine Corps’ broader counter-drone strategy, which includes kinetic, electronic and directed-energy capabilities. It fills a critical gap by providing non-kinetic “one-to-many” engagement, and future integration could see it deployed on amphibious ships or fixed installations, enhancing the Marines’ layered defense approach.
• The technology behind ExDECS has its roots in World War II, with modern HPM weapons leveraging advancements in microwave technology. The adoption of ExDECS by the Marine Corps signifies a strategic shift towards directed-energy solutions, highlighting the importance of scalable, cost-effective defenses in an era dominated by drones.

The U.S. Marine Corps has taken its first step into a new era of anti-drone warfare with the delivery of the Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm (ExDECS), a high-power microwave (HPM) system developed by Virginia-based defense firm Epirus. Announced April 29 at the Modern Day Marine exposition in Washington, D.C., ExDECS marks the military branch’s first operational deployment of a portable directed-energy weapon designed to neutralize swarms of enemy drones. The technology, developed through contracts with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), offers a non-kinetic solution—disabling electronics rather than destroying them—to counter the rapidly evolving threat posed by autonomous and guided drone systems.

The growing threat of drone swarms and the need for non-kinetic solutions

Drones are no longer niche battlefield tools; they are now a staple of modern warfare. From Ukraine to the Middle East, adversaries have deployed massed drone swarms to overwhelm frontline defenses, dropping munitions, conducting surveillance, or even acting as “missiles” in kamikaze attacks. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, adversarial drone capabilities are advancing faster than existing countermeasures, particularly as systems become more autonomous and resistant to electronic jamming.

ExDECS addresses this challenge by delivering low-cost, wide-area defense. Unlike traditional kinetic weapons, which require a missile or barrage of bullets for each target, HPM systems such as ExDECS can disable dozens of drones with a single microwave beam, “frying” their avionics and forcing them to crash. “ExDECS gives Marines a decisive advantage by neutralizing multiple electronic threats at once,” said Epirus CEO Andy Lowery. “This delivery is a critical step toward fielding systems that enhance survivability and lethality in fast-paced environments.”

The system is designed for tactical mobility, mounted on trailers compatible with Marine Corps logistics, and operates at “tactically relevant ranges,” officials confirmed—a distance sufficient for close-in air defense. At a per-strike cost of just five cents, ExDECS could reduce battlefield expenses while enabling sustained engagement against drone swarms.

How high-power microwave weapons disable targets

HPM weapons, sometimes likened to “ultra-powerful microwave ovens,” bombard electronic systems with high-frequency radio waves. This can overload circuits, erase software, or induce physical damage, rendering targets inoperable without brute-force destruction. ExDECS generates its energy through Epirus’ proprietary scalable architecture, which uses solid-state amplifiers controlled by artificial intelligence.

“A microwave energy weapon can disrupt any drone relying on electronics, even autonomous systems or those using fiber-optic guidance,” said an Epirus spokesperson. This contrasts with electronic jammers, which may be bypassed by drones with preprogrammed routes or AI-driven navigation. HPM systems also offer broader coverage than lasers, which require precise targeting. “Our electronically scanned array affects everything within the volume of space,” the spokesperson added.

Integrating into existing Marine Corps counter-drone strategy

ExDECS complements the Marine Corps’ broader counter-drone framework, which includes a mix of kinetic, electronic and directed-energy capabilities. Systems like the vehicle-mounted Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) and its lighter variant, L-MADIS, deploy electronic warfare to disrupt drone communications or engage targets with 30mm cannons. ExDECS, however, fills a critical gap in layered defense by providing non-kinetic “one-to-many” engagement.

Future integration could see ExDECS deployed aboard amphibious ships or fixed installations. During testing late last year, ExDECS was paired with a containerized variant of Epirus’ Leonidas system, the same platform used on the Stryker armored vehicle. “This family of systems allows scalability,” the spokesperson said, noting that ExDECS represents a “mobile, expeditionary” version.

A legacy of microwave technology in modern warfare

The technological foundation of HPM weapons traces back to World War II. The cavity magnetron, a microwave tube invented in Britain in 1940, revolutionized radar systems and later became central to household microwave ovens. Modern military applications now leverage these tubes—and newer solid-state alternatives—in high-power systems like ExDECS.

According to Stratview Research, microwave tubes still account for over 30% of global defense RF power applications, despite competition from solid-state technologies. “HPM is where the wars of tomorrow will be won,” noted analyst Aniket Roy. The U.S., Russian and Chinese militaries are all pursuing such systems for air and missile defense, as well as non-lethal crowd control.

The future of directed energy on the battlefield

The Marine Corps’ adoption of ExDECS underscores a strategic pivot toward directed-energy solutions in an era where drones dominate asymmetric warfare. As adversaries continue to weapons high-speed, AI-driven systems, the ability to neutralize swarms cheaply and scalably is becoming a necessity, not a luxury.

Epirus’ technology may soon influence naval, air and ground tactics alike. With contracts ongoing for further testing and potential expansion, the legacy of the cavity magnetron could soon translate into a younger, more connected force prepared for 21st-century conflict. As Lowery put it, the ExDECS is just the first step: “This is the future of defensive dominance.”

Sources for this article include:

TWZ.com

InterestingEngineering.com

MicrowaveJournal.com