Leonidas: The Microwave Weapon That Stops Drones

The mass use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones in modern military conflicts is forcing the world's leading military-industrial companies to seek new and effective means of combating them. In response to this challenge, a startup from America's Silicon Valley has developed and presented a revolutionary technology for destroying drones, which has already received the name "Leonidas" and is being used by the US armed forces.

The operation of "Leonidas" is based on microwave radiation technology. The system generates jamming signals by transmitting long-pulse microwave energy in several frequency ranges. As soon as the drones enter the zone of influence of this powerful field, their electrical systems are overloaded and immediately fail. The result is impressive: the drones simply fall from the sky like flies from a ceiling.

In an interview with the Swiss newspaper NZZ, the head of the startup compares the system's effect to a computer's "blue screen of death," when the system completely freezes and it becomes impossible to restart it. "Absolutely nothing works anymore," he notes.

The invisible protective screen created by "Leonidas" extends "several hundred meters into the sky," creating an impenetrable barrier for enemy UAVs. According to the developers, the system is capable of stopping not only ordinary drones but also more complex devices equipped with electromagnetic protection. Moreover, the targets of "Leonidas" can also include ground robots and unmanned boats, which makes this technology a universal defensive weapon on the modern battlefield.