{"id":33056,"date":"2026-10-06T05:35:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T05:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33056"},"modified":"2026-10-06T05:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T05:35:18","slug":"no-missiles-no-bullets-us-picks-4-new-laser-microwave-weapons-to-destroy-drone-swarms-at-the-speed-of-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33056","title":{"rendered":"No missiles, no bullets: US picks 4 new laser, microwave weapons to destroy drone swarms at the speed of light"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-articlebody=\"1\">\n<div class=\"UgCrb clearfix  \">\n<div class=\"XYebw\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"IYpL4\">\n<section class=\"lIbak  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  mR3IZ \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"lIbak\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"dV65i\">\n<div class=\"gF0tM\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134724260,imgsize-158810,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifically-for-drone-defense.jpg\" alt=\"No missiles, no bullets: US picks 4 new laser, microwave weapons to destroy drone swarms at the speed of light\" title=\"The United States is set to assess four cutting-edge directed energy weapon systems designed specifically for drone defense.\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"XsNYN img_cptn\"><span title=\"The United States is set to assess four cutting-edge directed energy weapon systems designed specifically for drone defense.\">The United States is set to assess four cutting-edge directed energy weapon systems designed specifically for drone defense.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The United States has selected four advanced laser and high powered microwave weapon systems for operational testing as Washington seeks to strengthen its defences against the growing threat posed by drones to military installations and critical infrastructure.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>According to the US Department of War, the systems will be evaluated under a directed energy pilot programme led by Joint Interagency Task Force 401, which is tasked with developing and coordinating counter drone capabilities for homeland defence.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The move marks a shift towards testing directed energy weapons in operational environments rather than relying solely on conventional interceptors.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>The four systems selected for the pilot programme include AeroVironment\u2019s Palletised High Energy Laser, Epirus\u2019 Leonidas High Powered Microwave system, Kord\u2019s Firefly High Energy Laser and Boeing\u2019s Compact Laser Weapon System.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/>The systems represent two major forms of directed energy technology being explored by the US military to counter unmanned aerial systems.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">How laser and microwave weapons work<\/span><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>High energy laser weapons use concentrated electromagnetic energy to engage drones. The beam is focused on a specific part of the aircraft, delivering enough heat to damage critical components and potentially destroy the target.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>The US Army has described directed energy as offering a potentially lower cost per shot and a deeper magazine than conventional kinetic interceptors.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>Lasers also operate at the speed of light and do not require conventional ammunition, but their effectiveness depends on maintaining the beam on the target and can be affected by atmospheric conditions and other factors.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>High powered microwave(HPM) weapons work differently, using electromagnetic energy to interact with a drone&#8217;s electronics. The US Office of Naval Research says HPM systems are designed to cause damage or temporary disruption to electronic systems, while their broader beams can allow multiple electronic targets to be engaged simultaneously.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>The US Army has tested HPM systems specifically designed to disrupt, disable or destroy multiple unmanned aircraft, making them a complementary layer alongside lasers and conventional counter drone weapons.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/defence\/international\/no-missiles-no-bullets-us-picks-4-new-laser-microwave-weapons-to-destroy-drone-swarms-at-the-speed-of-light\/articleshow\/134724109.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States is set to assess four cutting-edge directed energy weapon systems designed specifically for drone defense. The United States has selected four advanced laser and high powered microwave weapon systems for operational testing as Washington seeks to strengthen its defences against the growing threat posed by drones to military installations and critical infrastructure.According [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi-150x150.avif","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi-300x169.avif","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"The United States is set to assess four cutting-edge directed energy weapon systems designed specifically for drone defense. The United States has selected four advanced laser and high powered microwave weapon systems for operational testing as Washington seeks to strengthen its defences against the growing threat posed by drones to military installations and critical infrastructure.According [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":2,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":2,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi.avif",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi-300x169.avif",300,169,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the-united-states-is-set-to-assess-four-cutting-edge-directed-energy-weapon-systems-designed-specifi-150x150.avif",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33056"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33056\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}