As drone warfare continues to evolve at a dizzying pace, countries and militaries around the globe are racing to develop technologies capable of neutralizing unmanned aerial threats. Of the various solutions being talked about are high‑powered microwave (HPM) systems, which use bursts of electromagnetic energy to disable or destroy drones by disrupting their electronic components.
HPM systems are the “holy grail” of interceptors and are the next generation of counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) technology, according to Yossi Margalit, the vice president and managing director of C-UAS & Low Altitude Air & Missile Defense Systems at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
HPM technologies are “the next level up” of c-UAS technology, with “capabilities never seen before” following the operational use of laser interception technology, said Margalit, who was speaking to The Jerusalem Post’s Defense & Tech on the sidelines of the UVID conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
Margalit explained that there are several c-UAS technologies, from soft kill systems that use electronic warfare to hard kill solutions and energy solutions like laser or microwave technology. “We need sophisticated solutions because the threat is sophisticated, more than missiles,” he said. “With the threats becoming more complex, sometimes you have to play the game differently.”
During the 12-day war against Iran, known in Israel as Rising Lion, over a thousand drones were launched by the Islamic Republic, with the large majority intercepted. Nevertheless, the cost to intercept the drones was high: a $2,000 drone can force defenders to use a $2 million missile interceptor, a dynamic that Israeli officials have described as unsustainable.
This is where HPM weapons enter the picture. Unlike missiles or lasers, which target drones one by one, HPM systems emit bursts of powerful electromagnetic energy that can disable the electronics of multiple drones simultaneously, making them ideal for countering swarm tactics by offering rapid, wide-area neutralization without expending costly interceptors.
Worldwide R&D
This capability addresses one of the most pressing challenges of modern warfare: the proliferation of cheap, mass-produced drones that can overwhelm traditional aerial defenses. The United States, Europe, and Asia are investing heavily in HPM research, with systems like Epirus’s Leonidas and Thales’s ThunderShield already demonstrating operational potential.
The Pentagon has accelerated research into HPM directed-energy weapons precisely because of the Houthi drone threat in the Red Sea and Iran’s broader UAV proliferation into battlefields like Ukraine and possibly Venezuela.
Japan’s Defense Ministry has been working on HPM research for over a decade and allocated 800 million yen (some $5.2m.) this year alone to support the country’s HPM development. In January, the country’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency released a new conceptual image of its prospective HPM radiation device that is currently in the research and development stage.
Israel, long recognized as a leader in defense innovation, continues to advance directed-energy solutions. Rafael, best known for its Iron Dome missile defense system, has pioneered laser technology along with Elbit Systems to complement HPM in the fight against drones, while its “Iron Beam” laser weapon is designed to deliver precise, low-cost intercepts by burning through the structure of incoming drones, rockets, or mortars.
Unlike HPM, which disables electronics across a broad area, lasers provide pinpoint accuracy, making them ideal for neutralizing single, high-value targets. Together, HPM and laser systems represent a new, layered approach to counter-UAS defense.
HPM offers rapid neutralization of swarms, while lasers provide precision strikes against individual drones or munitions. This combination reduces reliance on expensive interceptor missiles and ensures that militaries can respond flexibly to diverse threats.
Rafael, best known for its Iron Dome missile defense system, has pioneered laser technology in the fight against drones along with Elbit Systems. Known as “Iron Beam”, the laser weapon is designed to deliver precise, low-cost intercepts by burning through the structure of incoming drones, rockets, or mortars.
For Israel, the combination of HPM and laser technology is increasingly seen as the future of counter-UAS operations, offering a layered defense against the kind of drone campaigns that Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis have pioneered in their wars against the Jewish state.