The U.S. Marines bought an $11 million microwave weapon to counter fiber-optic drones; new HAVOC system follows a $5.5 million predecessor as the Corps tackles radio-silent threats

The U.S. Marine Corps has put $11 million into a new way of fighting drones that conventional jamming cannot reach. The weapon, called HAVOC, uses high-power microwave energy to disrupt multiple drones at once instead of relying on one interceptor for each target. That matters as fiber-optic drones become a harder problem because they can operate without sending the radio signals that traditional electronic warfare systems are designed to disrupt. But there is an important distinction, HAVOC has been procured, not yet fielded. Epirus is scheduled to deliver the system in the second quarter of 2027, as per a report by AutoNotion.

The Marines are turning to microwaves against drones

Cheap drones have changed the economics of air defense. A relatively inexpensive drone can force defenders to use an interceptor costing far more, creating an uncomfortable imbalance when large numbers of drones arrive together. That is the problem behind the Marine Corps' $11 million contract with Epirus, the Torrance, California, company developing high-power microwave systems. The weapon is called HAVOC, and its basic idea is different from firing one interceptor at one drone. It produces a cone of microwave energy that can disrupt the electronics of multiple targets inside the affected area at the same time.


The system is not yet a fielded Marine weapon. Delivery is scheduled for the second quarter of 2027, making this a procurement story rather than a deployment story.

Why are fiber-optic drones difficult to jam?

One of the biggest reasons HAVOC matters is the rise of fiber-optic guided drones. These drones trail an actual spool of cable back to their operators. Because their control link does not depend on radio signals, conventional radio-frequency jamming has nothing to interfere with.

Ukraine and Russia have both been using these systems heavily, making them a particular challenge for electronic warfare. A high-power microwave weapon approaches the problem differently. Rather than trying to interrupt the signal controlling the drone, it targets the electronics themselves. That means the way the drone receives its instructions becomes less important.

This is the gap HAVOC is intended to address.

The Marine Corps already has electronic warfare capabilities for drones that rely on radio signals. HAVOC is intended to add another option against threats that can operate without them.

How is HAVOC different from ExDECS?

The development history also matters. Epirus' Leonidas is the company's high-power microwave platform that the Army has been testing since 2023. That work led to Leonidas Expeditionary and then to ExDECS, or the Expeditionary Directed Energy Counter-Swarm system.

The Marines received ExDECS in 2025 under a $5.5 million contract funded through the Office of Naval Research.

HAVOC is the next step. Epirus describes it as an autonomy-enabled evolution of ExDECS rather than simply a Leonidas derivative.

There is also a major difference in how the equipment is mounted. ExDECS was trailer-mounted, while HAVOC uses what Epirus calls a universal sled mount. The design is intended to allow the system to move between manned and unmanned ground vehicles without requiring custom integration for every platform.

The Army's experience with Leonidas also fed into the development. Its systems were sent to the Middle East and Pacific on an experimental basis, and Epirus CEO Andy Lowery said that experience influenced what the Marines are receiving.

What is known about HAVOC's range?

The exact range remains unclear.

Some coverage this month has put the current system's range at roughly two kilometers and has suggested Epirus is working to double it. But Lowery declined to provide a specific figure to Marine Corps Times.

He said the increase in range is significant but would not put a number on it.

The Defense Department has also been cautious. When ExDECS was delivered last year, TWZ reported that its maximum effective range was classified. The department confirmed only that Epirus systems operate at tactically relevant distances.

Lowery did provide one comparison, describing the generational improvement as going “from a 50-kilowatt to 150-kilowatt type laser in the same size package.”

He also highlighted less dramatic but important requirements, including reliability, weather tolerance, dust resistance and ruggedness.

How will HAVOC work with MADIS?

HAVOC is not being positioned as a replacement for the Marine Corps' existing short-range air defense system.

MADIS, the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, went to operational units in December 2025. It uses two networked Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.

One carries Stinger missiles and a 30mm chain gun. The other serves as the sensor and electronic warfare vehicle, equipped with a 360-degree radar, jamming equipment and a minigun.

MADIS can deal with drones, but a large swarm creates a basic ammunition problem.

Lowery told DefenseScoop that HAVOC is designed to operate alongside MADIS. The result would be a layered approach: jam drones that can be jammed, use microwave energy against those that resist jamming, and use kinetic weapons against anything that gets through.

Epirus executives have made a similar argument about Leonidas. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post in January, company executives described the system as one layer in a broader defense rather than a standalone answer.

Why does the cost exchange matter?

The economics are central to the appeal of directed energy.

A Stinger can cost six figures, while a Shahed-type one-way attack drone can cost only a few thousand dollars. When large numbers of inexpensive drones are involved, repeatedly using expensive interceptors becomes difficult to sustain.

Microwave weapons offer a different model because the ammunition is effectively electricity. The major cost is in the system itself, while the marginal cost of an engagement moves closer to the cost of operating a generator.

The Pentagon is pursuing that concept beyond the Marine Corps. In May, it named five installations, including Fort Bliss, Fort Huachuca and Grand Forks Air Force Base, as operational test sites for laser and high-power microwave counter-drone systems.

Epirus says it has prepared for production, with Lowery telling DefenseScoop the company has “the capacity to get up to about one system per week” and has prepared its facilities for low-rate production.

That does not mean the company is producing one system every week. No order at that rate has been placed.

For now, HAVOC remains a procurement decision rather than a proven battlefield system. The Marines are scheduled to receive it in 2027. What follows after testing will show whether the $11 million microwave weapon becomes a regular part of Marine air defense or remains an answer still being evaluated against an increasingly complicated drone threat.

FAQs

What is HAVOC?
HAVOC is a vehicle-mounted high-power microwave system designed to disrupt multiple drones at once.

When will the Marines get HAVOC?
Epirus is scheduled to deliver it in the second quarter of 2027.