The Pentagon said the US military has selected several developers of combat lasers and microwave systems for a pilot program aimed at protecting US territory from drones.
According to the department, the project is now moving into a new testing phase designed to expand the operational use of high-energy lasers and high-power microwave systems inside the country.
The Pentagon said the directed-energy systems were selected under the pilot program run by Interagency Task Force 401, which focuses on countering unmanned aerial systems.
The program includes laser systems developed by AeroVironment, Kord Technologies and Boeing, as well as the Leonidas high-power microwave system produced by Epirus.
Testing will not be limited to those four systems. In December, additional live-fire trials involving other promising laser and microwave weapons are scheduled to take place at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. These systems are also being considered for counter-drone missions.
Earlier, Russian Academy of Sciences President Gennady Krasnikov said Russian laser systems had demonstrated high effectiveness. According to him, work is continuing to increase beam power and range while reducing the time needed to track a target.