Big week for C-UAS systems.
Yesterday, directed energy weapons company Epirus announced a $250M Series D, led by 8VC and Washington Harbour Partners LP. CEO Andy Lowery told Tectonic that the funding will be used to ramp up production of the company’s Leonidas™ system and build a facility in Oklahoma that would enable the company to pump out up to 100 systems a year.
“We thought now would be an ideal time to raise some money before the tsunami of demand hits, so that we can…prepare to scale,” Lowery said.
The raise brings Epirus’ total funding to $550M.
Laser-focused: Leonidas™ is a nifty system. If Bullfrog uses bullets to shoot down drones, Leonidas uses high-power microwave (HPM) emissions to disable the electronic components that make them work. This means that if a UAV comes within the weapon’s radius—currently 1 kilometer of total efficacy and 10km of partial efficacy—it essentially drops out of the sky.
In battlefield scenarios where troops face hundreds, if not thousands, of drones, this can make a major difference. Operators don’t need to target drones individually—they’re essentially operating from behind what Lowery called a “modern-day force-field.”
- So far, Epirus has produced nine Leonidas systems, with four more next-gen systems in the works. Four of those systems were contracted by the Army for $66.1M in 2023.
- In tests, Leonidas can disable everything from tiny reconnaissance drones to ruggedized drones, the company says.
- According to Lowery, Epirus is working to increase the Leonidas’ range by about 2-3.5X in its next-gen systems.
It’s not easy to produce HPM systems, Lowery said, which is why the company is building its own second facility rather than contracting out to other producers. “You have to add a lot of different bells and whistles to it to make it not blow up into a big plasma ball,” he told Tectonic.
The original factory in Torrance, California, will be used for prototyping and experimentation, while the planned facility in Oklahoma will be used for mass production.
Big bucks: Last year, Army Chief of Staff Randy George revealed that the service was testing Leonidas in the Middle East. Lowery expects major budget to be allocated to HPM systems in the presidential budget later this year.