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The U.S. Department of War has selected four directed-energy systems for a year-long counter-drone pilot program at five military installations across the country, testing lasers and high-powered microwaves in real-world operations.

The systems selected by Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) are AeroVironment’s Palletized High-Energy Laser (P-HEL), Epirus’ Leonidas high-powered microwave system, Kord’s Firefly high-energy laser, and Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System (CLaWS).

The pilot phase is intended to determine how effectively the systems can detect and defeat drones, as well as how much they cost to operate, maintain, and sustain over extended periods.

The pilot program will cover Fort Bliss in Texas, Fort Huachuca in Arizona, Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state, Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

The Department of War has not disclosed which systems will be deployed to each location or how many systems will be fielded.

The program will run for one year, with service members operating and maintaining the weapons while JIATF-401 collects data on their performance and operational requirements.

“High-energy lasers and high-powered microwave systems are tools that can be effectively used in a layered drone defense,” Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF-401, said.

“There is no silver bullet, or one-size-fits-all solution to countering the threat of drones,” Ross said, emphasizing that directed-energy weapons will complement rather than replace existing counter-drone systems

Four Systems with Different Capabilities

AeroVironment’s P-HEL is a 20-kilowatt laser based on the company’s LOCUST system. It is designed as a palletized, transportable weapon that can be moved and deployed at different locations.

The system has already been used by U.S. forces overseas and demonstrated its ability to engage drones during a live-fire test aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in October 2025.

AeroVironment was awarded a $464.8 million contract in September to produce 30-kilowatt LOCUST X3 systems under the Enduring High Energy Laser program. The contract was described as the first production contract for a U.S. directed-energy weapon.

Boeing’s CLaWS is a smaller 5-kilowatt laser. The system has defeated Group 3 drones during testing and has been deployed to protect U.S. air bases in Europe.

Kord’s Firefly is a palletized high-energy laser designed to operate at power levels from 5 to 40 kilowatts. Its fixed-site design is suited to missions such as protecting military installations from drones.

Epirus’ Leonidas is the only high-powered microwave system selected for the pilot phase. Instead of concentrating energy on a single drone, it uses electromagnetic energy to disrupt the electronics of drones and can potentially engage multiple targets in a swarm.

The Army awarded Epirus $66.1 million in 2022 for four Leonidas prototypes and a further $43.5 million in 2025 for a second-generation version.

Focus on Real-World Costs

The pilot program will examine more than whether the weapons can shoot down drones. JIATF-401 also wants to establish the full cost of operating the systems, including maintenance, sustainment, downtime, and manpower.

Directed-energy weapons can have a major cost advantage because they use electricity rather than conventional ammunition for each engagement. However, Ross has warned that calculating costs only on the basis of the electricity used for a single shot does not provide a complete picture.

“If I procure that system and it costs me $6 million and I take one shot a year, you can’t tell me that that shot only costs 8 cents,” Ross said in August. The year-long deployment is therefore intended to show how the systems perform when they must remain operational and ready for use over extended periods.

In case you missed it: Falcon Peak 26.2 concluded at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground. Over four weeks, USNORTHCOM and JIATF-401 evaluated emerging commercial counter-drone capabilities to protect domestic military bases and critical infrastructure. @DeptofWar #FalconPeak262 #FalconPeak #CSUAS #HomelandDefense #YPG #DefenseInnovation #WeHaveTheWatch

— U.S. Northern Command (@USNorthernCmd) September 29, 2026

Domestic Operations Bring New Challenges

The pilot program also follows recent efforts to establish how directed-energy weapons can safely operate around U.S. airspace. In February, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily closed airspace over El Paso, Texas, after a counter-drone laser was used near Fort Bliss without coordination with the FAA.

Defense and FAA officials subsequently conducted a live-fire demonstration at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. In April, the FAA said its safety review found that the tested laser systems, when operated with appropriate safety controls, did not pose an undue risk to passenger aircraft.

The experience highlighted that domestic deployment requires coordination with civilian authorities in addition to military testing.

The four selected weapons are only the first group under the JIATF-401 pilot. The task force plans to hold a directed-energy shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah in December to evaluate additional laser and microwave systems.

The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Department of War to select and procure laser and microwave counter-drone systems for at least four military installations and deploy them within one year.

The wider effort is part of the Domestic Shield initiative, which aims to strengthen protection of priority U.S. military sites against drones.

In September, JIATF-401 awarded 10 contracts worth up to $4.15 billion combined for sensors, optical systems and gun-based counter-drone capabilities.

The directed-energy pilot program will provide another layer of that defense, while testing whether lasers and high-powered microwaves can move from demonstrations and limited deployments to reliable, sustainable systems for continuous protection of U.S. military installations.