The Defense Department has announced its selection of four vendors for a directed energy pilot program designed to enhance the operational use of high-energy laser (HEL) and high-powered microwave (HPM) capabilities within the U.S. This initiative stems from the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act and will be managed by the Army-led Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) 401. The chosen vendors include AeroVironment (Palletized HEL system), Epirus (Leonidas HPM system), Kord (Firefly HEL system), and Boeing (Compact Laser Weapon System).
Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of JIATF-401, emphasized the program’s goal of testing these technologies in real-world scenarios to determine how best to integrate and sustain them for homeland defense. The task force will collaborate closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Northern Command, and military services throughout the program.
This partnership follows a prior incident in February when FAA temporarily closed airspace in El Paso due to miscommunication about a counter-drone laser use by Customs and Border Patrol. The situation highlighted the importance of coordination between agencies, leading to subsequent risk assessments and safety agreements regarding laser systems.
In December, JIATF-401 will conduct a “shoot off,” which may lead to immediate procurement of effective solutions. The Department of Defense will also continue evaluating additional directed energy systems.
