--- title: "Marines Get Their First High Power Microwave Weapon For Taking On Drone Swarms" description: "The U.S. Marine Corps has taken delivery of the Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm, or ExDECS, weapon, its maker Epirus announced today to coincide with the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington, D.C. ExDECS will allow the Corps to start experiments…" date: "2025-04-29" modified: "2025-04-29" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/land/marines-get-their-first-high-power-microwave-weapon-for-taking-on-drone-swarms" categories: - "Air" - "Counter-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (C-UAS)" - "Directed Energy" - "Drones" - "High Powered Microwaves" - "Land" - "News & Features" - "Sea" - "U.S. Marine Corps" tags: - "Modern Day Marine 2025" --- # Marines Get Their First High Power Microwave Weapon For Taking On Drone Swarms ![The U.S. Marine Corps has received an Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm (ExDECS) weapon in order to facilitate experimentation with the use of high-power microwave (HPM) technology in the increasingly volatile low altitude air defense (LAAD) role. This kind of counter-drone system is increasingly seen as a critical layer in force protection and urgently needed to enhance current and future ground-based air defense (GBAD) capabilities.]() *Epirus* The U.S. Marine Corps has taken delivery of the Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm, or ExDECS, weapon, its maker Epirus announced today to coincide with the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington, D.C. ExDECS will allow the Corps to start experiments with [high-power microwave]() (HPM) technology in the increasingly critical low-altitude air defense (LAAD) role. This kind of counter-drone system is increasingly seen as a critical layer in force protection and something that is urgently needed to enhance current and future ground-based air defense capabilities. ExDECS is a [derivative of the Leonidas]() HPM-energy-based counter-drone system developed by Epirus, whose products we will revisit soon in a very in-depth story. The company delivered the first ExDECS system to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Virginia earlier this year, where it completed government acceptance testing ahead of a planned test program. ![]() *The trailer-mounted Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm, or ExDECS. *Epirus** The mobile, solid-state HPM system has been developed as part of a contract awarded by the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR). In September 2024, the ONR awarded Epirus an additional follow-on contract to support further testing and evaluation of the system as part of the Preliminary Evaluation of Ground-based Anti-Swarm UAS System (PEGASUS) program. “Drone warfare is changing the fight — fast. Systems like ExDECS give Marines a decisive advantage by neutralizing multiple electronic threats at once with a single system — what we call a one-to-many capability,” said Andy Lowery, CEO of Epirus. “This delivery is a critical step toward fielding non-kinetic counter-swarm solutions that enhance the mobility, survivability, and lethality of our Marine forces.” While the maximum effective range of ExDECS is classified, the Department of Defense has confirmed that Epirus HPM systems can affect targets at “tactically relevant ranges,” the company confirmed to *TWZ*. Generally, HPM systems are for point defense, effective within a handful of miles of the target. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXXCK6gjSfg Leonidas Expeditionary was introduced in 2024 and is the latest addition to the company’s range of scalable HPM systems for counter-electronics. ExDECS is designed to integrate with light tactical vehicles and trailers to improve expeditionary [short-range air defense]() (SHORAD) capabilities. HPM weapons belong to a broader category of directed-energy weapons, which also include lasers. All of them tackle their target or targets without the use of a projectile. ![]() *A close-up of the ExDECS directed-energy weapon. *Epirus** Specifically, HPM weapons use high-frequency radio waves to disrupt or disable critical electronic systems on a target — literally frying them if the weapons are powerful enough. Once targeted, aerial drones will crash or otherwise malfunction. An HPM system’s power levels and how it focuses its beam have impacts on its range and ability to engage multiple threats at once. A wide beam means HPM weapons have greater potential to counter drone swarms than lasers, which have to focus on one target at a time. A radiofrequency directed-energy weapon also offers notable advantages over ‘soft-kill’ options, like electronic warfare jammers, in that it can also bring down [drones that are operating autonomously,]() or those using fiber-optic-cable guidance, by disrupting their onboard electronics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLA826fH4Vc ExDECS and the [Leonidas system]() are primarily aimed at defeating uncrewed aircraft, including large drones or [networked swarms]() of drones. It could also potentially be employed against more traditional aircraft, as well as [low-flying cruise missiles](), and even threats on the ground. The U.S. Army previously acquired and field-tested [a microwave weapon ostensibly designed]() for non-lethal crowd-control use. Like a laser, an HPM weapon is also cheap to use. Epirus [estimates]() that defeating a drone with ExDECS costs just five cents. This becomes an even more important factor when faced with drone swarms, which a system like ExDECS is optimized for. As an Epirus spokesperson told *TWZ*: “It’s not about targeting one drone at a time — it’s about affecting everything within the volume of space covered by our electronically scanned array.” ![]() **Epirus** Epirus previously told *TWZ* that the technology behind Leonidas makes it particularly efficient since it uses “artificial intelligence-controlled [solid-state power amplifiers]() to achieve extremely high levels of power output.” The company says this makes the core components of this directed-energy weapon highly scalable, as well. As [we have discussed before](), HPM directed-energy weapons are an area in which the U.S. military, [including the Navy](), and other armed forces around the world are currently investing. Epirus is among the leading players in this field, with its Leonidas having previously been integrated on the [Stryker armored fighting vehicle](). Other examples include the Tactical High-power Operational Responder, also known as [THOR](), a containerized counter-drone system that [the U.S. Air Force has been testing](). Outside the United States, systems include the British Army’s Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon demonstrator, or RF DEW, which has demonstrated the ability to bring down a swarm of drones during trials, which you can read about [here](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufky08hbhPo As for the Marine Corps, the service is forging ahead with plans to expand its counter-drone strategy, with a wide variety of systems, from vehicle-mounted solutions down to infantry-operated ones. These include the vehicle-based [Marine Air Defense Integrated System](), or MADIS, and the lighter [L-MADIS](). Both these systems use electronic jamming to disrupt enemy drone communications, but they can also be used in conjunction with kinetic effectors. In MADIS, the vehicles are provided with 30mm cannons and M240C coaxial machine guns, while L-MADIS can be teamed with shoulder-fired [FIM-92 Stinger surface-to-air missiles](). ![]() *U.S. Marines with Combat Logistics Company-16, 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group observe the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, Dec. 13, 2023. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by Virginia Guffey** An early version of L-MADIS made [headlines in 2019]() when it shot down an Iranian drone from the deck of the amphibious assault ship USS *Boxer* during its operational debut. Since ExDECS is trailer-based, it could also be deployed aboard warships in this way. While MADIS and L-MADIS represent the initial effort to bolster the counter-drone capabilities of Marine Corps [low-altitude air defense battalions](), the service is also working on a broader, and more nebulous, effort that aims to give every Marine access to drone defense and detection capabilities. You can read more about this plan [here](). Another part of the Marine Corps’ counter-drone strategy involves [installation defense](). This involves weapons or technologies that can protect Marine Corps bases and facilities from hostile drones, with a focus on using non-kinetic means of disrupting drones or bringing them down. This has seen [Counter small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (I-CUAS)]() installed at Marine bases. ![211020-N-AS200-0566 VENTURA COUNTY (NNS) - Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) Pacific Target Marine Operations (PTMO) and Threat/Target Systems Department (TTSD) recently deployed small-drones over Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), Point Mugu to provide cost-effective unmanned aerial system (UAS) familiarization and threat training. NBVC is comprised of three distinct operational facilities: Point Mugu, Port Hueneme and San Nicolas Island. It is Ventura County’s largest employer and protects Southern California’s largest coastal wetlands through its award-winning environmental program. (U.S. Navy photo by Ensign Drew Verbis/Released)]() *A small quadcopter drone during counter-unmanned aerial system tests over Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu. These were run by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) Pacific Target Marine Operations (PTMO) and Threat/Target Systems Department (TTSD). *Photo by Ensign Drew Verbis/Released* Ensign Drew Verbis* With drones becoming better hardened against electronic countermeasures and jamming, and increasingly autonomous, counter-drone strategies are made more complicated. A fast-evolving threat means that a broad range of countermeasures is needed to keep pace, in what is a potentially deadly cat-and-mouse game. Now, with the receipt of the ExDECS, the Marines are ready to start trials with this HPM technology. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()