Lockheed Martin unveils counter-drone system that can ‘neutralize up to 50 enemy drones in a single mission’ — sensor-agnostic system uses High Power Microwave to purge enemies from the sky

Lockheed Martin has unveiled a counter-drone system that can “neutralize up to 50 enemy drones in a single mission.” The new Morfius X-Rotor is a ground-launched one-to-many drone-kill system designed to be sent up to neutralize large enemy drone swarms. This reusable and field‑recoverable drone utilizes a high‑power microwave to disable drones without explosives, reducing collateral damage. It boasts a “significantly low cost per kill.”

The video shared on social media looks impressive, with a trio of Morfius X-Rotor drones sent into the skies, the video of the target acquisition HUD, and then several microwave blasts. We don’t know whether the video contains any live-action test footage or is just a rendered animation.

The U.S. defense tech company notes that swarms of hostile drones are fast becoming the biggest threat to allied forces on today's battlefields, and this is why the Morfius X-Rotor was created. It also fits into the U.S. Department of War's 2025-2028 Rapid Response Counter-UAS Roadmap.

Lockheed claims the Morfius X-Rotor is also remarkable for being “the only ground-launched, field-reusable airborne HPM system capable of delivering more than 50 drone kills per flight using any command and control system and no dependence on fire control radars.” So, it doesn’t need dedicated radar or guidance sensors to acquire and take down targets, which could be a winning quality in heavy EW environments.

Another feather in this one-to-many drone-kill system’s cap is that it is built on a proven platform of Morfius variants which have been flying since 2017, with recent field tests taking place across several U.S. states. A Lockheed VP sums up that what we see in the video demo represents “a new benchmark for counter-drone capability - delivering a high kill rate while keeping the cost per kill low.”

We have reported on microwave anti-drone and weaponry systems before. Among the former was the ground vehicle-based Epirus Leonidas system, which "neutralized 61-of-61 drones" during a recent live fire trial in Indiana last year. We've also reported on an incredibly powerful 20-gigawatt microwave weapon designed in China, dubbed the TPG1000C, and described as “Starlink’s worst nightmare.”

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