The rise of cheap drones means that groups with relatively low funds can cause significant disruption, posing a growing threat to military infrastructure and installations.
Now, a range of startups and branches of the US armed forces are developing advanced weapons that can disable drones en masse.
Options being explored include drones that act as battering rams, drones that shoot out nets to disable quadcopters, precision-guided Gatling guns, and high-powered microwaves, among others.
One such startup, Epirus, has created a massive microwave emitter, called Leonidas, which the US Army is already betting on as a cutting-edge anti-drone weapon.
The microwave destroys the drone’s electronics without exploding and can hit multiple drones at once, making it more practical than missiles, which cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars each.
Epirus is now focused on manufacturing at scale before the drone swarms start to descend.