Airborne microwave counter-drone system enters prototype production
NewsJuly 20, 2026
FARNBOROUGH, England. Lockheed Martin is increasing prototype production of its MORFIUS X-Rotor airborne high-power microwave counter-drone system and preparing additional flight tests, the company announced in a statement.
The ground-launched system is designed to disable more than 50 uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) during a single flight by using a high-power microwave payload, the statement reads. MORFIUS can be recovered and reused in the field after an engagement, according to the company.
The system does not require a dedicated sensor or fire-control radar to guide it toward a target and can operate with different command-and-control systems, the company says. It is intended to counter groups of hostile drones while reducing the number of individual interceptors required during an attack.
Lockheed Martin has tested the system under flight, interception, and target-effect conditions in Arizona, California, and Oklahoma, the statement adds. Earlier versions of MORFIUS have undergone flight testing since 2017 and use payload technology from the same family of high-power microwave effectors.
The company says the program supports the U.S. Department of Defense’s 2025-2028 counter-UAS planning effort.
