A new autonomous robotic system capable of countering drone threats on the battlefield thanks to a combination of microwave technology and an unmanned ground vehicle has been developed by defense firms Epirus and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS).
The Leonidas Autonomous Robotic (Leonidas AR) platform features Epirus’ Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) weapon with GDLS’s Tracked Robot 10-ton (TRX) unmanned ground vehicle, resulting in an autonomous counter-drone system capable of defeating swarms of unmanned aircraft.
Source: Epirus
The developers explained that the Leonidas HPM system uses weaponized electromagnetic interference (WEMI) to disable or destroy electronic targets. Likewise, the system can disrupt multiple drones in a swarm.
Rather than the current iteration of air-defense weapons that rely on interceptors or gunfire, Leonidas emits bursts of high-power microwave energy to immediately disable hostile drones or precision-guided munitions.
Meanwhile, the GDLS TRX vehicle weighs roughly 10 tons and is a hybrid-electric, AI-enhanced tracked vehicle capable of traveling at a maximum speed of 45 mph.
“By combining General Dynamics Land Systems’ decades of leadership in the development and deployment of ground combat vehicles with Epirus’ premier non-kinetic counter-UAS effector, Leonidas AR achieves the level of next-generation technology that today’s battlefields demand,” the developers explained.
“The Sixth Domain, the electromagnetic spectrum, will define future conflicts,” the companies said in a joint statement.
For more on the Leonides AR, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of Epirus.
