The Pentagon selected four directed-energy weapons systems for a one-year homeland counter-drone pilot at five U.S. bases ordered by Congress. Systems from AeroVironment, Epirus, Kord, and Boeing will test high-energy lasers and high-powered microwave performance, costs, and operational integration under Joint Interagency Task Force 401.
What's happening
- The Army-led JIATF-401 named four systems: AeroVironment's Palletized High-Energy Laser, Epirus' Leonidas high-powered microwave, Kord's Firefly high-energy laser, and Boeing's Compact Laser Weapon System.
- The pilot will run for one year at five bases: Fort Huachuca Arizona, Fort Bliss Texas, Naval Base Kitsap Washington, Grand Forks Air Force Base North Dakota, and Whiteman Air Force Base Missouri.
- Service members will operate and maintain the weapons to gather real-time data on performance, costs, and sustainment requirements across the five installations.
Why it matters
- The pilot directly addresses Congressional direction to field counter-drone capabilities at U.S. bases and establishes operational baseline data for potential wider deployment of directed-energy systems.
- Testing cost-per-shot economics at scale is critical; firing directed-energy weapons costs a fraction of missiles but requires understanding total system costs including maintenance and integration.
- The pilot will inform how the military integrates lasers and microwaves into layered drone defense and resolves safety coordination with the FAA, which has oversight of domestic airspace.
Going deeper
- AeroVironment's LOCUST laser is a 30-kilowatt palletized system recently covered by a $464.8 million production contract under the Enduring-High Energy Laser program announced in September.
- Epirus' Leonidas disabled all 61 target drones in testing at Camp Atterbury Indiana in September 2025, including a 49-drone swarm in a single burst.
- Boeing's Compact Laser Weapon System defeated nearly 500 drones in testing at ranges from 200 meters to 2.5 kilometers and returned from Marine Corps overseas deployment.
- Kord's Firefly is scalable from 5 to 40 kilowatts in a truck-mounted, palletized configuration and requires a few seconds on target to defeat small drones.
The intrigue
- The Pentagon has not disclosed which system deploys to which base, how many units of each will be fielded, or total pilot costs, leaving questions about force mix and cost-effectiveness testing priorities.
- FAA safety concerns over airspace coordination remain unresolved operationally; an El Paso incident in February forced temporary airspace closure, though March testing at White Sands found lasers with proper controls pose no undue risk to passenger aircraft.
- The pilot tests competing technologies with different operational profiles: high-energy lasers dwell on one target while high-powered microwave bursts cover swarms but raise concerns about effects on nearby systems.
The fine print
- The announcement does not specify whether pilot systems are drawn from AeroVironment's existing $464.8 million production contract or procured separately.
- Deployment plans will be worked out with installation commanders over 180 days, with operations expected to begin later in 2026, meaning timeline execution risk remains.
- The Pentagon will continue evaluating other directed-energy technology and host a shoot-off in December at Dugway Proving Ground Utah for additional systems.
Source: Defense News · Oct 6, 2026 · Drafted with Claude, reviewed by Industrial Base Alpha.