Some background material on Droneshield
What looks like a fearsome competitor isn't, and the chances of an end to the war in Ukraine.
We published an update on Droneshield for paid subscribers this morning (after our Primer a year ago).
Here is the awesome tech by what one might assume is a competitor to Droneshield (DRSHF), Epirus Leonidas system (but stay tuned, this plot has a twist), from Eurasia Times:
The most recent and significant news, announced on March 2025, is that Epirus Inc., a defense technology start-up based in Torrance, California, has unveiled the Leonidas system, a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon designed to neutralize unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms.
This innovative system emits electromagnetic pulses to disable drones individually or across a broad area, offering a scalable solution to counter drone threats.
The Leonidas system has been likened to a “Star Trek-style” shield due to its ability to disable or destroy drones within seconds. Beyond its counter-drone capabilities, the Leonidas system’s versatility allows it to disable electronics in ground vehicles and sea vessels, demonstrating its potential across various defenses…
The Leonidas system addresses these challenges through directed energy technology, allowing for rapid, reusable, and cost-effective simultaneous engagement of multiple threats…
HPM systems generate electromagnetic waves ranging from 300 MHz to 300 GHz. Unlike the microwaves used in household ovens to heat food by exciting water molecules, HPM delivers intense bursts of energy capable of inducing currents in electronic circuits.
We leave you to read the rest of the article through the provided link, here is the upshot:
The Epirus Leonidas system is a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon designed to neutralize unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms.
Developed by Epirus Inc., a defense technology start-up based in Torrance, California, Leonidas was unveiled in March 2025.
It emits electromagnetic pulses to disable drones individually or across a broad area, offering a scalable counter-drone solution.
Leonidas utilizes solid-state HPM technology, which is more durable, efficient, and compact than older vacuum tube-based systems.
The system works by generating intense bursts of microwave energy that can disrupt or permanently damage sensitive electronic components in drones.
Unlike traditional defense mechanisms, Leonidas offers a cost-effective and reusable way to engage multiple threats simultaneously.
It has the potential to disable electronics in ground vehicles and sea vessels in addition to drones, showcasing its versatility.
Named after the Spartan king Leonidas, it embodies a bold and forward-thinking approach to defense.
Key advantages include its unlimited magazine (continuous operation with power), precision and control in targeting, and scalability against various drone sizes.
Challenges include significant power requirements, range and environmental limitations (due to beam divergence and atmospheric absorption), and the potential for unintended disruptions to friendly electronics.
Epirus has developed fixed and mobile versions of the Leonidas system for protecting critical infrastructure and supporting field troops.
The Leonidas system represents a non-kinetic alternative to conventional defense systems, addressing the increasing threat of drones.
You might think this is fearsome competition for Droneshield, right? Wrong!
DroneShield Ltd (DroneShield) and Epirus, Inc (Epirus) have completed integration of DroneShield’s multi-sensor DroneSentry system with Epirus’ Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) counter-electronics/counter-UAS effector.
The integration of these two systems allows for a fully integrated C-UAS system that can track multiple threats and then engage with high-powered microwave countermeasures that will provide critical defensive capabilities for military, government and other customers.
So Droneshield actually greatly benefits from Epirus selling Leonidas systems.
Ukraine War
It’s no exaggeration to claim that the war in Ukraine has completely changed the face of modern warfare with drones, and anti-drone tech, taking centerstage, as well as greatly increasing demand for drones.
But there are efforts underway to reach a ceasefire, how likely are these to succeed? Not likely, at least not in the immediate future:
Russia argued that in its present form, it can’t agree to the ceasefire proposals.
Ukraine can’t possibly agree to the “minerals deal” that the US government has put in front of them.
On that ‘minerals deal’ we have a particularly grim reading, which we publish in full below but since that comes from behind a paywall we can’t put that out for everybody, sorry.