Microwave drone killer joins U.S. Army's Jailbreak drill

Epirus has plugged its Leonidas high-power microwave drone killer into a wider U.S. Army command-and-control network during Operation Jailbreak Falcon Fury, an Army effort to make counter-drone sensors, weapons and software from different makers work together.

The California company said on X that it joined the event to show how Leonidas can link sensors and its microwave weapon into a broader command network, so operators can pick the right weapon for each drone threat. Epirus did not say when or where the demonstration took place, which command system Leonidas was connected to, or how many drones it engaged.

Epirus also said it will bring a new mobile version, Leonidas GV, built with General Dynamics Land Systems, to the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 12-14. The company described it as mobile high-power microwave defense that can hit many drones at once. It did not release specifications.

Operation Jailbreak is the U.S. Army’s push to open up its own systems so new and old equipment can share data, instead of running on closed, single-vendor software. More than 50 companies took part in its first sprint at Fort Carson, Colorado, this spring, with counter-drone and air defense as the first focus, DefenseScoop reported. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has framed the effort as a way to plug in the tens of thousands of drone interceptors the service rushed to the field during Operation Epic Fury against Iran.

Leonidas works differently from guns, missiles or lasers. It fires bursts of microwave energy that overload the electronics inside drones, knocking out navigation, communications or motors. Because the beam covers an area, one shot can disable several drones flying close together, which is why the U.S. Army sees it as a last line of defense against swarms.

The U.S. Army has been testing Leonidas for more than three years. In January 2023, the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office awarded Epirus a $66.1 million deal for four prototypes under the Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High-Power Microwave program, known as IFPC-HPM. Epirus delivered all four by March 2024. Testing showed the weapon worked, but the U.S. Army found it needed better integration with the rest of the air defense kill chain, and in October 2024 it paid Epirus nearly $17 million for an upgraded sensor suite and closed-loop fire control.

In July 2025, the U.S. Army ordered two second-generation systems for $43.5 million. A month later, Epirus said Leonidas disabled all 61 drones flown across five scenarios at a demonstration at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, including a 49-drone swarm taken down with a single burst.

Epirus and General Dynamics Land Systems have worked together since 2021. The pair first put Leonidas on a Stryker armored vehicle, then on General Dynamics’ TRX tracked robot in October 2025. In March, they unveiled the Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle, a self-driving Ford F-600 truck built with Kodiak AI.

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