Epirus, a defense technology company specializing in high-power microwave systems, announced on Monday that it will deliver the Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm (ExDECS) system to the U.S. Marine Corps before the end of the year.
The ExDECS system is part of a $5.5 million contract under the Department of Defense’s Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm initiative. It is being developed in partnership with the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL), and the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO). The system aims to improve the Marine Corps’ Ground Based Air Defense capabilities by integrating with the Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S), and it will undergo testing and experimentation in different expeditionary scenarios.
ExDECS is a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon that uses directed energy to disable drone swarms. The system emits focused electromagnetic pulses capable of downing multiple drones at once, providing a more cost-effective countermeasure against the growing threat of drone swarms than traditional air-defense methods.
🇺🇸 EPIRUS Inc. (@epirus) announced new High-Power Microwave (HPM) system LEONIDAS Expeditionary under development with Office of Naval Research (ONR), Joint Counter-Small UAS Office (JCO) and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to be delivered by the end of 2024.
HPM system program name :… pic.twitter.com/WMsaBfpkBE
— Counter Drone News (@CUAS_NEWS) September 25, 2024
The Leonidas Expeditionary version of the system is more compact and lightweight than its predecessors, designed to fit on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) trailer.
Marine Commandant Gen. Eric Smith emphasized the importance of such technologies in his recent planning guidance, highlighting the lessons learned from active battlefields, such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East. He stressed the need to invest in Ground Based Air Defenses, including Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS), to protect against the evolving threats posed by drones and other uncrewed systems.
Epirus has already delivered its Leonidas high-powered microwave systems to the U.S. Army under a $66 million contract last year, as part of the Army’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High-Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) initiative.
The current ExDECS system, which is expected to be delivered to the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab by the end of 2024, will undergo field experimentation to enhance the Marine Corps’ Ground Based Air Defense Capabilities. Epirus will also deliver one ExDECS prototype to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren for further testing and evaluation, ensuring that the system meets the necessary standards for deployment in various combat scenarios.
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