U.S. Begins Yearlong Directed Energy Counter-Drone Trials Across Five Military Bases.

The Pentagon has moved directed-energy counter-drone systems into yearlong operational trials at U.S. military bases to assess their readiness for routine installation defense. The effort will determine whether lasers and high-power microwaves can be sustained alongside kinetic and electronic warfare systems against individual drones and swarms.

JIATF 401 is placing directed-energy equipment in the hands of military personnel for a 365-day assessment focused on availability, maintenance, power demand, cooling, and integration with active base operations. The trials will help determine which technologies can transition into layered counter-UAS architectures and potentially support future procurement.

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The U.S. Army tests the Palletized High Energy Laser (P-HEL) counter-drone prototype at Yuma Proving Ground as part of RCCTO and JCO efforts to develop directed-energy C-sUAS capabilities. (Picture source: US DoD)

The Pentagon is moving its directed-energy counter-drone effort into a yearlong operational assessment intended to determine whether laser and microwave weapons can be sustained as routine base-defense systems rather than used only in demonstrations. In a September 9, 2026 statement, the U.S. Department of War said Joint Interagency Task Force 401 is running a directed-energy pilot at multiple military installations, where high-energy lasers, high-power microwaves and other technologies are being evaluated in an operational environment. The emphasis is now on how these systems perform when placed in the hands of service members.

The latest disclosure advances a program Army Recognition reported on in May 2026, when the Pentagon selected five installations for operational counter-UAS trials. The new phase shifts attention from site selection to endurance, maintenance, readiness and employment procedures. Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF 401, said the task force intends to keep directed-energy systems on installations for 365 days, with military personnel responsible for operating and maintaining them. The assessment will record how often equipment remains mission-capable, how much power it consumes and where contractor support is still required.

That approach addresses questions short demonstrations cannot resolve. An installation commander needs to know whether a laser remains available after weeks of use, how quickly faults can be repaired and whether cooling or electrical demands interfere with other base functions. JIATF 401 also wants to determine how directed-energy engagements can be conducted without routinely closing nearby airspace, a concern around military airfields and civilian aviation corridors. The task force is therefore measuring the fully burdened cost of these weapons rather than focusing only on individual shots.

The exact systems assigned to the pilot locations have not been publicly identified. Existing U.S. programs nevertheless show the type of equipment available. The Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser, or AMP-HEL, uses a 20-kilowatt-class laser integrated on an Infantry Squad Vehicle and is intended mainly for Group 1 and Group 2 unmanned aircraft. On August 25 and 26, 2026, Joint Task Force Southern Border personnel used AMP-HEL to defeat three drones assessed as threatening U.S. military personnel and Customs and Border Protection partners.

At a higher power level, the Directed Energy Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense system, or DE M-SHORAD, integrates a 50-kilowatt-class laser on a Stryker and is designed to engage Group 1 to Group 3 drones and other short-range aerial threats. Four prototypes were delivered to the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment at Fort Sill in September 2023 before deployment outside the continental United States in 2024. The system uses lithium nickel cobalt aluminum batteries recharged by onboard diesel generators, illustrating the power-generation and thermal-management demands associated with repeated engagements.

High-power microwave systems provide a different effect. The Army's Indirect Fire Protection Capability High-Power Microwave uses electromagnetic energy to disrupt or damage drone electronics and is intended in part to counter grouped attacks and swarms. Unlike a laser, which concentrates energy on one aim point and generally requires dwell time, a microwave emitter can affect electronics across a broader sector and potentially engage several drones within the same attack geometry. Its use requires electromagnetic deconfliction with friendly communications, navigation aids, aircraft systems, and nearby electronics.

Operationally, the pilot is meant to determine how these effectors fit into a layered counter-UAS architecture rather than whether one technology can replace the others. Radar and passive radio-frequency sensors provide detection, electro-optical systems support identification, electronic warfare can interfere with command or navigation links, and kinetic interceptors remain necessary when weather, range or target construction limits directed energy. Lasers may provide precise engagements against individual aircraft, while high-power microwaves offer a wider-area response against multiple electronics-dependent targets. The central test is whether crews can move between those options while preserving identification, airspace safety and the base's primary mission.

JIATF 401 is also linking the pilot to future procurement. Ross said the task force plans a directed-energy shoot-off in December with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, including new entrants. Technologies that meet performance requirements could move toward purchase orders, providing additional data on production readiness, supply chains and sustainment costs.

For U.S. allies and competitors, the program carries implications beyond base protection. The United States is testing whether directed energy can become a repeatable model for defending strategic infrastructure against numerous low-cost drones without relying exclusively on finite stocks of missiles and ammunition. If the assessment produces reliable readiness and cost data, it could influence NATO counter-UAS planning and allied procurement while pushing potential adversaries toward larger salvos, hardened electronics, and tactics designed to complicate laser or microwave engagements. The competition is therefore extending from drone performance to the resilience and sustainability of the defenses built to counter it.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in Security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.