• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Editor's Pick

‘Star Trek shield’ technology gets $250M boost to knock drone swarms from the sky with high-powered microwave

by March 6, 2025
written by March 6, 2025

A new high-powered microwave system that can knock swarms of drones out of the sky at once is going to ‘touch every aspect of warfare,’ according to Epirus founder, Joe Lonsdale. 

‘It’s kind of like a Star Trek shield,’ Lonsdale, founder of Epirus and a co-founder of fast-rising defense technology company Palantir, explained of its Leonidas counter-drone system. ‘It’s able to turn them off from very far away.’ 

‘This is going to touch every aspect of warfare over the next decade,’ said Lonsdale. ‘We can knock down some pretty advanced drones.’ 

Defense tech startup Epirus secured another $250 million in a Series D funding round, which was announced Wednesday, bringing its total venture funding to over $550 million. 

Epirus’ Leonidas system is a ground-based, directed energy weapon that fires off an electromagnetic pulse to disable swarms of drones, or it can neutralize precision targets. The company aims to help the military shift away from a ‘1 to 1 mindset to a ‘1 to many’ way of thinking for short-range defense,’ according to CEO Andy Lowery. 

Drone swarms have been a key frontline tactic in the Russia-Ukraine war because most defense systems are designed to take out one unmanned vehicle at a time. Additionally, in the Middle East, the U.S. has been using multimillion-dollar missiles to shoot down Houthi drones that are built for around $2,000 or less. 

‘Swarms of drones is where war is going, and currently you have swarms of drones that are very expensive and very difficult to stop,’ said Lonsdale. ‘It’s not just drones, they’re all sorts of different types of uses for this,’ he added, predicting that one day the technology might be deployed to freeze up planes in the sky and protect satellites. The technology has already been successful in Defense Department tests on boat motors and other electronics, according to the company.  

‘This is just it’s just going to touch every aspect of warfare in the next decade.’ 

Rep. Rob Wittman, vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee, warned that the U.S. needs to ‘run to play catchup’ with its adversaries in the counter-UAS space. 

‘We are not doing what we need to do,’ he told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the National Security Innovation Base Summit in Washington, D.C. ‘We have failed miserably at counter-UAS. We do okay in CENTCOM [Central Command], but … in places like Langley Air Force Base, we are not where we need to be.’ 

Dozens of drones hovered over Langley for over two weeks in 2023, and lawmakers say they still have not been provided with an explanation. 

Epirus won a $66 million contract in 2023 to supply its Leonidas to the U.S. Army, and the technology is believed to be  in the testing phase by Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, according to comments that Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George made to Congress last year. 

The rapid rise of unmanned aerial vehicles in war has prompted a defensive race to develop systems to counter them, like high-energy lasers and high-power microwaves. 

‘We have a lot of people who are, you know, coming into the [Defense Department]wanting to embrace new technologies,’ said Lonsdale. ‘They’re really excited about this.’ 

The defense entrepreneur suggested there is ‘tons of waste’ in the Pentagon that could be repurposed for new technologies.

‘There’s a ton of cronyism. We’re seeing tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars you could pull out, depending [on] how aggressive you want to be. And these should be put into cutting-edge technologies that actually deter enemies.’

Epirus was valued at $1.35 billion when it raised $200 million in Series C funding, but the company did not disclose its valuation for this round. 

The California-based company will use the new cash influx to expand into international and commercial markets and expand manufacturing in the U.S. 

The company is also planning to open a new simulation center in Oklahoma to train soldiers in counter-drone warfare. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Brazil’s Méliuz joins Bitcoin trend, buys 45.72 BTC
next post
Biden-nominated federal judge extends hold on Trump NIH research funding cuts

related articles

Hawley blasts FDA approval of new abortion drug,...

October 2, 2025

FLASHBACK: James Comey urged officials to always prosecute...

October 2, 2025

The agency staff Vought might recommend cutting and...

October 2, 2025

Trump’s DOGE savings dwarfed by Medicare, Social Security...

October 2, 2025

Reagan-appointed judge, once rebuked by Supreme Court, continues...

October 2, 2025

‘Real consequences’: Food aid, flood insurance, FEMA funds...

October 2, 2025

Trump must triple severely outdated nuke arsenal to...

October 2, 2025

White House says federal layoffs could hit ‘thousands’...

October 2, 2025

Johnson shuts door on negotiating shutdown deal as...

October 2, 2025

Democrats refuse to budge over Obamacare fight as...

October 2, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • GOP races against clock as Senate, House remain trillions of dollars apart on Trump’s tax bill

    April 28, 2025
  • Xpeng EV deliveries soar 273% in April; BYD leads with over 370,000 units sold

    May 3, 2025
  • How Vice President Kamala Harris got started in politics

    July 26, 2024
  • Treasury ‘mistakenly’ gave Musk DOGE worker ability to change payments system: court docs

    February 12, 2025
  • China halts Boeing jet deliveries amid rising US-China trade tensions, report says

    April 15, 2025

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 3

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 4

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (6,247)
  • Investing (634)
  • Stock (935)

Latest Posts

  • U.S. lawmakers move to ban China’s DeepSeek from government devices

    February 6, 2025
  • Walz responds to vice presidential debate invitation; Vance says ‘I strongly suspect we’re going to be there’

    August 15, 2024
  • Ricketts, Fetterman team up for crackdown on China’s attempts to purchase US farmland

    June 5, 2025

Recent Posts

  • Federal appeals court sides with Trump on firing head of watchdog agency

    March 6, 2025
  • Canada to launch world’s first Solana spot ETF on April 16: could SOL jump 40%?

    April 15, 2025
  • Sen. Rand Paul pledges to get Trump’s cabinet picks approved ‘as quickly as possible’

    December 22, 2024

Editor’s Pick

  • ‘Obama bro’ confirms claims in Clooney’s damaging op-ed on Biden’s mental fitness

    July 11, 2024
  • Trump could scale back Canada, Mexico tariffs Wednesday, Lutnick says

    March 5, 2025
  • House Republicans nearing vote on Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

    May 22, 2025
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock