Epirus demos Leonidas counter‑drone system

A microwave counter-drone weapon works by frying a drone’s electronics instead of hitting it with a missile, and Epirus used a new Shawn Ryan Show demo to explain that pitch at Vigilance Ranch. (youtube.com) (epirusinc.com) Epirus CEO Andy Lowery appeared in the video published April 28, 2026, walking through the company’s Leonidas system and its role against drone swarms. The YouTube description says the segment showcased the Leonidas autonomous ground vehicle in an outdoor demonstration. (youtube.com 1) (youtube.com 2) Leonidas is a high-power microwave system, which means it sends concentrated electromagnetic energy at a target so the drone’s own circuits stop working. Epirus says the system is software-defined, solid-state and built to create “electronic defeat” with low collateral effects. (epirusinc.com 1) (epirusinc.com 2) That approach is aimed at a math problem that missiles struggle with: cheap drones can arrive in groups, while interceptors are expensive and limited. Epirus says Leonidas can engage multiple targets at once and does not rely on a finite magazine of rounds. (epirusinc.com 1) (epirusinc.com 2) The company’s biggest public proof point came on August 26, 2025, at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Epirus said Leonidas disabled 61 of 61 drones across five scenarios, ending with a 49-drone swarm defeated by a single pulse. (epirusinc.com) Epirus has also been pushing the system into more mobile forms. On March 24, 2026, it unveiled Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle, combining the microwave payload with Kodiak AI’s autonomous driving system and General Dynamics Land Systems integration work. (epirusinc.com) That mobile version is pitched for bases, airports, ports, critical infrastructure and major public events, where operators may need to reposition quickly around a perimeter. Epirus said the vehicle can run autonomously or by teleoperation. (epirusinc.com) The Pentagon interest is already concrete. On July 17, 2025, Epirus said the U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office awarded it a $43.55 million contract for two Generation II high-power microwave systems, after four earlier systems were delivered in May 2024. (epirusinc.com) Epirus said those Generation II systems are expected to more than double effective range and increase power by 30%, while adding batteries, longer pulse widths and faster multi-target engagement. Those are the details behind why the company keeps framing Leonidas as a swarm-defense tool rather than a one-drone-at-a-time jammer. (epirusinc.com) The money behind the buildout has grown alongside the contracts. Epirus said in March 2025 that it raised $250 million in Series D funding, bringing total venture backing above $550 million to scale Leonidas production. (epirusinc.com) So the Vigilance Ranch demo was not a product unveiling as much as a public tutorial in how Epirus wants this weapon understood: not as science fiction, but as a fielded answer to mass, low-cost drones. (youtube.com) (epirusinc.com)