Epirus Demonstrates Successful HPM Effects Against Fiber-Optic FPV Drones

Epirus has successfully demonstrated the ability of its Leonidas high-power microwave technology to disable fiber-optic guided Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) during a government-monitored testing event.

The live-fire demonstration, which took place in December 2025, utilized the Leonidas VehicleKit (VK) to target and neutralize a drone type that has become a significant factor in modern contested environments. Fiber-optic First Person View (FPV) drones differ from conventional systems because they connect to pilots via physical spools of thin cable rather than Radio Frequency (RF) links. This physical connection allows them to bypass traditional electronic warfare measures such as jamming or spoofing.

The Leonidas platform overcomes these defenses by delivering software-defined, weaponized electromagnetic interference directly to the target. Instead of attempting to disrupt a command signal or relying on kinetic impact, the system induces a full kill within the drone’s onboard electronics. This process utilizes non-ionizing radiation and highly directional phased array antennas to focus energy specifically on identified targets, ensuring the system remains safe for human operators and minimizes collateral damage through near-instantaneous effects.

The emergence of these drones has been noted as a primary threat by international officials. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has publicly stated that Russian forces are now fielding fiber-optic FPV drones with 31 miles of range and that these drones represent “a very considerable threat to logistics and personnel.” Additionally, an August 2025 U.S. Army analysis concluded that these systems pose a significant counter-UAS challenge and are extremely difficult to detect and target.

Andy Lowery, Epirus CEO, commented “The proliferation of fiber-optic guided UAS represents a major shift in drone warfare and exposes a growing operational gap for counter-UAS defenses — one that Leonidas is designed to address and close. Leonidas’ ability to defeat this new class of threat represents an important breakthrough in safe, non-kinetic defense against emerging drone tactics and reinforces Epirus’ leadership in scalable, one-to-many counter-UAS platform development.”