Unmanned aerial vehicles are actively used today for reconnaissance, observation, and strikes at important targets. To counter the growing threats of hostile drones, many developers today are creating various anti-drone systems.
The American company Lockheed Martin has introduced MORFIUS, a reusable, high-power microwave-based interceptor for C-UAS and C-swarm scenarios. Armed with a High-Powered Microwave (HPM), MORFIUS is capable of simultaneously defeating multiple threats in a single defensive attack and combating swarms.
MORFIUS is a Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) interceptor to deliver enduring counter-swarm protection across land, sea, and air domains. The drone can fit inside a six-inch diameter launch tube and weighs less than 30 pounds (13.6 kg). It is built to launch from fixed or mobile platforms, including ground vehicles, air vehicles, and vessels, readily supporting On-The-Move (OTM) scenarios.
In the front part, MORFIUS houses sensors for drone research and detection and then disables them in close proximity, with potentially a gigawatt of microwave power. It can be recovered at the end of the mission to be reused.
According to the company, the MORFIUS system’s transmitter capacity can reach one gigawatt, enough to disable enemy drones. Such suppression would be very successful with close proximity to the enemy’s drones instead of ground-only systems.
It is known that the drone can return to the launch field independently and be used as a reconnaissance vehicle. Other specifications such as flight range, speed, controls, and many more are not given.
MORFIUS’ integrated system has been matured and tested over several years, and Lockheed Martin continues to prove its performance and capability along with third-party validations. Its ability to defeat multiple targets in one defensive attack, be recovered and reused over and over, makes this system a force multiplier.
