From microwave weapons that can disable multiple drones to interceptor missiles and electronic warfare systems, the US military is developing a diverse toolkit to counter the growing threat from unmanned aircraft.
The challenge is that drones vary widely in size, speed, cost, and operating method. A system designed to stop a small commercial quadcopter may not be suitable for a larger attack drone or a coordinated swarm.
The US military is therefore combining different detection methods and defensive technologies rather than relying on a single solution. A 2026 Congressional Budget Office assessment also emphasizes the value of layered defenses.
Here are seven examples spanning electronic warfare, directed energy, kinetic interception, and integrated air defense, with a distinction between systems already tested or fielded and those still being evaluated.
1. High-powered microwave weapons: IFPC-HPM
The US Army’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) High-Powered Microwave system emits electromagnetic energy to disrupt or disable multiple small drones. Unlike weapons that engage targets individually, microwave systems can potentially counter several drones within an engagement area. In April 2025, Army personnel tested IFPC-HPM alongside Philippine forces during Exercise Balikatan, including a live-fire demonstration against a drone swarm.
2. Coyote interceptor drones – Coyote 2C
Developed by RTX, the Coyote is a radar-guided interceptor designed to defeat hostile drones physically. It can be integrated into the Army’s fixed-site and mobile counter-UAS defenses, with kinetic and non-kinetic variants available. In January 2024, the Army awarded RTX a $75 million contract for 600 Coyote 2C interceptors, highlighting the effort to scale up defenses against small unmanned aircraft.
3. Vehicle-mounted guns with automated targeting – BLADE
The Ballistic Low Altitude Drone Engagement system adapts the Army’s existing remotely operated weapon stations to engage small drones. It combines automated detection and tracking with a gun-based response, offering a kinetic alternative to electronic warfare. During Project Flytrap 4.0 in Poland in August 2025, soldiers used BLADE on a Stryker to defeat multiple drones at reported ranges of 500–800 meters (0.3 to 0.5 mile).
4. Radio-frequency detection and electronic warfare – NINJA
The Air Force’s Negation of Improvised Non-State Joint Aerial Threats program uses radio-frequency signals associated with drones and their operators to detect, locate, identify, and help defeat threats. This approach can provide warning without relying solely on radar. A Congressional Research Service report noted that 99 Air Force locations had installed NINJA as of 2023 testimony. The effectiveness of electronic warfare depends on the target’s communications and operating characteristics.
5. Shipboard laser dazzling systems – ODIN
The Navy’s Optical Dazzling Interdictor (ODIN) uses a laser to interfere with the optical sensors of unmanned aircraft rather than destroying every target with a projectile. This can help disrupt a drone’s ability to observe or navigate using its cameras. The Navy reported seven ODIN installations aboard ships and established a dedicated training program in 2025. ODIN is primarily a sensor-dazzling system, not a high-energy laser designed to burn through an aircraft.
6. Drone-on-drone interception – Bumblebee V2
Instead of firing a missile or jamming a signal, the Bumblebee V2 is designed to collide directly with hostile drones. The US Army’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 awarded Perennial Autonomy a $5.2 million agreement in January 2026, with deliveries scheduled to begin in March. The Army’s Global Response Force is intended to conduct operational assessments, making it a newer capability under evaluation rather than a universally fielded defense.
7. Integrated, layered counter-drone defenses – Golden Shield
The Army’s Golden Shield concept connects sensors, command-and-control software, and defensive weapons to shorten the time between detecting a drone and engaging it. In an April 2026 live-fire exercise at Fort Hood, Texas, the Army demonstrated an autonomous sensor on one platform that detected and classified a hostile drone, then passed data and an engagement command to a weapon system on another platform. The effort remains part of the Army’s experimentation with layered protection for armored formations.
Why the US military needs multiple counter-drone technologies
No single system can reliably counter every type of drone. Microwave weapons can address groups of small aircraft, interceptors can physically destroy individual threats, electronic warfare can disrupt susceptible communications, and lasers can interfere with optical sensors. Gun-based systems provide another option when a physical engagement is necessary.
The challenge is integrating these capabilities into a defense that can quickly identify threats, select an appropriate response, and avoid wasting expensive interceptors on inexpensive drones. As recent Army exercises demonstrate, the future of counter-drone defense is increasingly about combining sensors, software, and multiple types of effectors into a coordinated system rather than relying on one weapon alone.