Cogs of War Countering Drones and the Pace of Modern War
Mar 19, 2026
John Garrity, VP at AeroVironment, leads laser and multi-effector counter-UAS work. Andy Lowery, CEO of Epirus, builds high-power microwave defenses for drone swarms. Jeff Cole, Founder of Hidden Level, focuses on passive RF and multistatic detection. They discuss layered defenses, scalable directed-energy and RF approaches, procurement and industrial surge ideas, and real-world deployment challenges and readiness.
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Match Protection To Asset Value
- Prioritize which assets need high-end protection and match cost-to-value when choosing systems.
- Jeff Cole urged tailoring solutions from vehicle-level kits to protecting multi-million-dollar radars or stadiums to avoid overpaying for ubiquitous coverage.
HPM Force Fields Disable Electronics Not Airframes
- EPIRUS's high-power microwave creates scalable electromagnetic interference 'force fields' that defeat electronics regardless of airframe.
- Andy Lowery said the effect works on fiber-optic drones and can be sized for vehicle crow's nests to give ~50m protection for tanks.
Field Quickly With Interoperable Kits
- Move fast to field multiple effectors and stockpile interoperable kits rather than perfect single systems.
- John Garrity described AV's Freedom Eagle One missile and focus on productization and commercial-scale inventory to get kits into theaters quickly.