Leonidas AGV: Autonomous vehicle fights drones with microwaves
The mobile military vehicle Leonidas AGV can autonomously defend against drones using microwaves. The weapon system is a joint product of three companies.
(Image: General Dynamics Land Systems)
Defense companies Epirus and General Dynamics Land Systems, together with autonomous driving specialist Kodiak AI, have developed the Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV), which can autonomously combat drones with microwaves. The system was officially presented on Tuesday at the AUSA Global Force Symposium & Exhibition in Huntsville, Alabama, as Epirus reports. The mobile drone defense system combines a high-energy microwave weapon from Epirus with a self-driving Ford F-400 truck. Kodiak AI provides the autonomous driving system for this. General Dynamics Land Systems is responsible for integrating the technologies.
A Ford F-400 truck serves as the mobile base for the Leonidas AGV. The Epirus Leonidas microwave weapon, capable of combating drone swarms at close range up to 2 km, was mounted on it – for example, for the defense of critical infrastructure or military objects. It uses software-defined electromagnetic interference to disrupt drones and cause them to crash. Compared to laser weapons, the technology has the advantage of being able to target and neutralize multiple drones in an area simultaneously. Laser weapons, on the other hand, combat drones in a swarm individually, one after another.
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Autonomous drone defense
The vehicle is also equipped with an autonomous driving system from Kodiak AI. Kodiak Driver enables autonomous driving in various environments, from normal roads to rough terrain. It is designed to navigate safely and perform “dynamic driving maneuvers” to evade and enable uninterrupted drone defense in contested areas. The Leonidas AGV is intended to be able to change its position quickly to be less vulnerable.
Furthermore, the mobile approach allows the vehicle to patrol and be quickly deployed to different locations. Patrol routes can be planned in advance and then carried out fully automatically. The vehicle can act completely autonomously without a driver, combat drones, and also be remotely controlled by an operator.
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The Leonidas AGV is also intended to reduce the number of ground troops required for drone defense. Fewer soldiers would need to be deployed for the defense of military bases, airfields, ports, and critical infrastructure, as they can control the system from a safe distance, according to the developing companies.
(olb)
