In recent years, the U.S. Navy has been experimenting with directed energy systems—both laser and high-powered microwave platforms—designed specifically to address the drone swarm problem. Unlike kinetic interceptors, these systems do not “fire” traditional ammunition. They draw from the ship’s power generation capacity.
High-powered microwave weapons, in particular, are engineered to disrupt or destroy electronic components by overwhelming circuits with electromagnetic energy. Instead of detonating a drone, they can disable its guidance or control systems, causing it to lose stability and fall.
If operationally deployed, such systems would alter the economic equation. Instead of expending a missile for every incoming drone, a destroyer could potentially neutralize multiple targets within a single engagement cycle, limited primarily by power generation and thermal management rather than magazine count.
