Pentagon picks 4 vendors for counter-drone directed energy pilot program
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department today announced it has selected four vendors for its directed energy pilot program — an effort aimed at expanding the “operational use” of high-energy laser (HEL) and high-powered microwave (HPM) capabilities within the homeland, according to a Pentagon release.
Ordered by fiscal 2026’s National Defense Authorization Act, the pilot program will be run by the Army-led Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) 401, according to the release. The four selected vendors are AeroVironment, with its Palletized HEL system; Epirus, with its Leonidas HPM system; Kord, with its Firefly HEL system; and Boeing, with its Compact Laser Weapon System.
“This pilot program will test these capabilities in an operational environment so we can understand how best to integrate and sustain them to defend the homeland,” Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF-401, said in the Pentagon release today.
The task force will conduct the pilot program in “close coordination” with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), US Northern Command and the military services, according to the announcement.
The partnership follows a February incident in which the FAA temporarily closed airspace around the El Paso, Texas, airport due to a miscommunication between federal agencies about use of a counter-drone laser by Customs and Border Patrol. It was later discovered that the laser was on loan from the Army.
Since then, the task force has partnered with the FAA to conduct a risk assessment during a HEL demo in New Mexico, which revealed that the system “posed a minimal risk to the National Airspace System,” today’s release said. The demo also resulted in a joint agreement for a laser system to protect the southern border.
As Breaking Defense previously reported, JIATF-401 will host a “shoot off” for the pilot program in December. Solutions that perform well could be bought on the spot, Ross said at the time. At the demo, the DoD and the task force will continue to “evaluate” additional directed energy systems beyond those selected today, per the release.
The Defense Department selected four vendors for a directed energy pilot program in Washington, aimed at enhancing counter-drone capabilities. The program, led by Joint Interagency Task Force 401, will test high-energy laser and high-powered microwave systems in an operational environment. Coordination with the FAA and US Northern Command is planned, following a previous incident involving a counter-drone laser. A demonstration confirmed minimal risk to the National Airspace System and led to a joint agreement for a laser system to protect the southern border.
- The Defense Department selected four vendors for a directed energy pilot program.
- The program aims to expand operational use of HEL and HPM capabilities.
- The pilot program will be run by the Army-led Joint Interagency Task Force 401.
- The task force will coordinate with the FAA and US Northern Command.
- A demo revealed minimal risk to the National Airspace System.