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Lockheed Martin has introduced MORFIUS X-Rotor, an airborne high-power microwave counter-drone system designed to take down swarms of hostile unmanned aircraft. The company says the system can disable more than 50 drones in a single mission.
MORFIUS X-Rotor is built for recovery and reuse after engagements, a design choice the company says is intended to keep the cost per engagement low. It is described as compatible with a range of sensors and command-and-control networks and does not require a dedicated sensor to guide it to targets. Lockheed Martin also characterizes the system as ground-launched and field-reusable, with no reliance on fire-control radars.
To move the program forward, the company says it is accelerating prototype production of MORFIUS and its HPM payload while preparing for another round of flight tests. Recent test events in Arizona, California and Oklahoma examined flight performance, target intercepts and lethality effects, according to Lockheed Martin.
The effort is framed as supporting the U.S. Department of War’s 2025-2028 Rapid Response Counter-UAS Roadmap. Lockheed Martin describes MORFIUS as the only ground-launched, field-reusable airborne HPM system that can deliver more than 50 drone kills per flight while operating with any command-and-control system and without fire-control radars. The company says the X-Rotor variant builds on versions that have flown since 2017 and uses the same family of HPM effectors, which it asserts have defeated hardened targets while limiting collateral effects.
“MORFIUS sets a new benchmark for counter-drone capability – delivering a high kill rate while keeping the cost per kill low,” said Randy Crites, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Advanced Programs. “By leveraging a lightweight, field reusable high-power microwave architecture, we provide the most effective, low-cost solution on the market today and demonstrate Lockheed Martin’s ability to field innovative, affordable technologies at the speed our American and allied troops need.”
