The Pentagon has picked the hardware it will use to answer one of the oldest questions in counter-drone defense: once a directed-energy weapon leaves the test range, is it actually cheaper and more practical than shooting down drones with interceptors?

In a release on Oct. 5, 2026, the Defense Department named four systems for a directed-energy counter-drone pilot program. The program was ordered by the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act and is run by the Army-led Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401). Three of the systems are high-energy lasers (HEL) and one is a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon:

  • AeroVironment Palletized High Energy Laser
  • Epirus Leonidas high-power microwave
  • Kord Firefly high-energy laser
  • Boeing Compact Laser Weapon System

According to Breaking Defense, Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, the JIATF-401 director, said the pilot will "test these capabilities in an operational environment." The department said it coordinated the effort with the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Northern Command and the military services. It also said more systems are still being evaluated.

Not a range test: a year of real use

Directed-energy weapons have been tested in demonstrations for years. This pilot is different because of who runs the systems and for how long. Ross described the plan to DefenseScoop in August: different systems will be fielded on military installations, and actual service members will run and maintain them for 365 days, in scenarios that usually require field support representatives.

The point is to collect data on how much power the systems need, what they cost to run, how often they need repairs, and which tactics work. Unmanned Airspace reports that the evaluation will produce real-time data on requirements, costs and best practices. Ross said the end goal is a cost comparison between directed energy and the usual approach of pairing sensors with interceptors.

The task force has already chosen the sites. In May, DefenseScoop reported that JIATF-401 had picked five installations: Fort Huachuca in Arizona, Fort Bliss in Texas, Naval Base Kitsap in Washington, Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Ross said at the time that there was "no silver bullet" for the drone threat. The Oct. 5 announcement as reported does not say which vendor's system goes to which base.

The airspace problem that came first

Putting a laser on a U.S. base raises a problem that doesn't come up overseas: the weapon operates in or near the National Airspace System, which is full of airliners, helicopters and general aviation traffic. That problem became public this year.

In February, the FAA temporarily closed airspace around the El Paso airport. Breaking Defense reports the closure followed a miscommunication between federal agencies over a counter-drone laser that U.S. Customs and Border Protection was using, which was later found to be on loan from the Army.

The Pentagon and FAA responded with a formal test. In March, a live-fire high-energy laser demonstration took place at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. On April 10, the FAA and the Department of War announced that they had completed a safety assessment of a high-energy laser counter-drone system after observing those demonstrations. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the systems "do not present an increased risk to the flying public." Bedford and Ross were both quoted in the announcement, and the department said it would keep coordinating with the FAA to use the system safely.

According to Unmanned Airspace, the FAA concluded the laser posed minimal risk and set up a framework for continued coordination. Breaking Defense reports the demonstration also produced a joint agreement for a laser system to protect the southern border. The installation pilot was announced in May, two months after that first FAA-Pentagon laser test, and it follows from that groundwork.

A December shoot-off, with buying on the table

The four selected systems are not the end of the list. In December, the department will host a directed-energy "shoot-off" at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah for more HEL and HPM systems. DefenseScoop reported the plan in August, describing it as part of a government-wide counter-drone push. Ross said the event is meant to let new entrants compete, and that it is structured so systems that perform well immediately result in a purchase order. Breaking Defense likewise reports that solutions that do well could be bought on the spot.

So the pilot runs on two tracks. The four named systems go to installations to build a year of operational data. The shoot-off tests whether other vendors deserve the same chance, and gives JIATF-401 a way to buy them quickly if they do.

Why the mix of lasers and a microwave matters

The selection puts both main directed-energy approaches into the same evaluation. Three of the four systems are lasers. Epirus' Leonidas is the only high-power microwave system named. Ross has said the science works for both, since a drone can be defeated with either a high-energy laser or a high-power microwave, and the open question is how to use them in an operational context. Running both at operational sites should give the Pentagon comparable data instead of vendor claims made under different test conditions.

The sources do not give technical specifications, prices or deployment dates for the individual systems, and the department has not publicly said how it will measure success at the end of the 365 days.

Why It Matters

Drones over and near U.S. military installations are now a homeland-defense problem, and for now most defenses rely on sensors plus interceptors. Ross has framed the pilot as a way to put real costs on directed energy so the services can compare it with conventional defeat methods. This pilot is meant to supply those numbers: power use, repair rates and operating costs, collected by service members at five real bases over a full year.

The program also tests the rules as much as the weapons. The El Paso closure showed what can happen when a domestic laser is used without coordination among the military, the FAA and the operating agency. The White Sands assessment and the coordination framework that came out of it are what make it possible to put these systems on U.S. soil. If the framework holds up through a year of real use, it could become a model for fielding directed energy at home. If it doesn't, the cost data won't matter much.

Finally, the December shoot-off and the chance of buying winners on the spot suggest the Pentagon wants to bring in more vendors quickly. Vendors who miss this round still have a way in. Vendors who were picked now have a year to show that their systems work with service members, not field support representatives, running them.

Sources