U.S. Marines Move to Vehicle-Mounted Epirus HAVOC Microwave Weapon to Defeat Drone Swarms.

The U.S. Marine Corps is moving toward a vehicle-mounted high-power microwave weapon capable of disabling groups of drones in a single engagement. Military Times reported on the $11 million Epirus contract on August 10, 2026. The HAVOC program could give dispersed Marine forces a mobile counter-drone capability designed to blunt mass UAV attacks without relying on one interceptor missile for every target.

HAVOC, or High-power Microwave Autonomous Vehicle Operational Capability, is a U.S. Marine Corps program designed to provide a mobile counter-drone weapon capable of disabling multiple unmanned aerial vehicles at once. The system uses high-power microwave energy to disrupt or damage electronic components such as flight computers, sensors, and control systems, allowing Marines to engage groups of drones without firing a separate missile or projectile at each target. Mounted on a vehicle and designed with autonomous detection functions, HAVOC is intended to protect deployed forces, command posts, logistics sites, and expeditionary bases against increasingly common mass drone attacks.

Related Topic: US Army and Auriga Space to develop low-cost electromagnetic weapons against drone swarms

Epirus Leonidas high-power microwave weapon mounted on a Stryker armored vehicle during AUSA 2022, demonstrating a mobile counter-drone configuration designed to disable multiple unmanned aerial systems using directed electromagnetic energy. (Picture source: Army Recognition Group)

By using high-power microwave energy against multiple unmanned aircraft, HAVOC is intended to protect maneuvering units, command posts, and other exposed positions from drone swarms. Its development reflects a broader shift toward mobile directed-energy defenses that can provide deeper magazines and more sustainable protection as low-cost drones become a growing battlefield threat.

The HAVOC system is expected to be delivered in early 2027 and is designed to autonomously detect drone threats before using high-power microwave energy to disrupt or disable their electronics. The capability is intended to strengthen Marine Corps protection against large numbers of inexpensive drones that could otherwise overwhelm conventional short-range air defenses.

Unlike a missile or gun, a high-power microwave weapon does not need to physically hit each drone. It emits a concentrated burst of electromagnetic energy that can interfere with or damage electronic components such as flight computers, sensors, and control systems. If several drones are inside the weapon's effective area, one microwave engagement can potentially disable multiple aircraft at the same time.

This makes the technology particularly useful against drone swarms. Conventional air-defense missiles normally engage targets individually, meaning that a large attack can rapidly consume expensive interceptor stocks. A microwave weapon instead relies primarily on electrical power, giving commanders the possibility of conducting repeated engagements without carrying dozens of missiles.

HAVOC builds on earlier U.S. Marine Corps and Office of Naval Research work with Epirus' Leonidas high-power microwave technology. The company previously developed the Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm system, or ExDECS, to demonstrate how electromagnetic weapons could support Marine Corps Ground-Based Air Defense missions.

Epirus has also demonstrated the ability of its technology to engage multiple unmanned aircraft during a single event. This one-to-many capability is central to the Marine Corps requirement because future forces could face coordinated attacks involving reconnaissance drones, loitering munitions, and inexpensive first-person-view aircraft arriving simultaneously.

Vehicle integration is equally important. A mobile microwave weapon could accompany U.S. Marine maneuver forces, protect logistics convoys, or defend temporary expeditionary bases rather than remaining fixed around a permanent installation. This would be especially relevant for Marine units operating from dispersed positions in the Pacific or other contested regions.

Such units may need to protect radars, communications equipment, missile batteries, fuel points, and command posts against persistent drone surveillance and attack. A mobile HAVOC system could provide an additional defensive layer while allowing more expensive missiles to be reserved for higher-value or more difficult aerial threats.

The autonomous element could also shorten the time between detection and engagement. By automatically identifying and tracking unmanned aircraft, HAVOC may reduce the workload on operators during saturation attacks involving many simultaneous targets.

High-power microwave weapons are different from conventional electronic jammers. Jammers usually interfere with radio communications or satellite navigation, while microwave weapons can directly affect a drone's onboard electronics. This could make them useful against autonomous aircraft or drones using control methods that are less vulnerable to traditional radio-frequency jamming.

However, HAVOC would not replace missiles, guns, or other counter-drone systems. Its most likely role would be as part of a layered defense in which microwave energy attacks large groups of inexpensive drones, while kinetic weapons engage aircraft that survive or approach from outside the microwave weapon's effective envelope.

For the U.S. Marine Corps, major technical challenges will include electrical power generation, cooling, range, and vehicle integration. Expeditionary units cannot rely on the extensive power infrastructure available at permanent bases, so the system must produce sufficient microwave energy while remaining mobile and supportable in forward operating areas.

The $11 million contract therefore represents more than another counter-drone experiment. It indicates that the U.S. Marine Corps is trying to move high-power microwave technology closer to an operational configuration that combines mobility, automated target detection, and the ability to defeat multiple drones without consuming large quantities of interceptor ammunition.

Related Army Recognition coverage of U.S. Marine Corps counter-drone modernization, Epirus Leonidas high-power microwave weapons, and U.S. directed-energy air-defense programs has shown how the Pentagon is increasingly searching for lower-cost ways to counter mass unmanned attacks.

If HAVOC performs as planned after delivery in 2027, the U.S. Marine Corps could gain a new tool for protecting dispersed forces from drone swarms. Its main advantage would be simple but operationally important: instead of attempting to shoot down every inexpensive drone with a separate missile, Marines could use electromagnetic energy to disable several threats at once, preserving ammunition and making air defenses more sustainable during prolonged combat.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.