The United States Army Plans to Capture Drones in Mid-Flight Using Microwave Cannons

In a public solicitation last Friday, the US Army announced its intention to purchase an airborne high-powered microwave system from Lockheed Martin, for use against drones.

The high-powered microwave system would be mounted to an aircraft would disable fixed-wing or quadcopter drones with a beam of focused radiation, as reported by TheVerge News.

The report also reveals that the Army’s new system comes with a plan for microwaving drones out of the sky developed by Lockheed Martin called the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator or “SHiELD.”

Intended for use against incoming missiles, the project was the subject of a $26 million design award in November 2017. Responses to the new proposal are due by August 18th.

Most drones can be neutralized with targeted radio jamming, which causes the craft to lose its connection with the remote pilot and hover to the ground.