Within the framework of the combined Balikatan 25 exercises, which are taking place on Philippine territory, the U.S. Army announced that it has tested its new high-power microwave systems, IFPC-HPM, against drone swarms. According to official information, the new system was tested in live-fire air defense exercises, operating from Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui under the command of the institution’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force.
Expanding on the details of the tests carried out since April 28, the U.S. Army reported that units from the Philippine Air Force’s 960th Air and Missile Defense Group also participated, integrated as part of an expert exchange program outlined by Manila and Washington. In addition, personnel from the Marine Corps’ 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion were also involved in the exercise, participating with their new MADIS drone defense systems.
On the other hand, referring to the high-power microwave system IFPC-HPM, it can be stated that it functions as a generator and emitter of a directed energy beam capable of disrupting the operation of unmanned aerial systems, whether individual or in swarms; in this way, they are neutralized in a more cost-effective manner compared to traditional kinetic solutions. It is a system developed by the company Epirus, which in 2022 signed the corresponding contract to advance the project together with the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), having passed various tests prior to its deployment in the Philippines.
In addition, the U.S. Army reported that the exercise served as a demonstration of how the IFPC-HPM system can benefit from integration with other counter-drone defense systems already used on the battlefield, strengthening the layered defense concept that the institution seeks to consolidate. Specifically, the statement mentions the use of FS-LIDS systems, which over the past decade have already seen activity in the Middle East and can be used in parallel to detect enemy UAVs that are later neutralized by the IFPC-HPM.
Referring to this, U.S. Army Captain Bray McCollum stated: “During this test, we were able to demonstrate that we can successfully defeat drone swarms in a tropical environment using layered effects (…) This is a great opportunity to show our Filipino allies the cutting-edge capabilities the U.S. Army is developing. This training demonstrates our commitment to strengthening our ties with our Indo-Pacific allies and partners.”
Finally, looking at the broader picture of what the Balikatan 25 exercises have involved so far, it is worth noting that the aforementioned IFPC-HPM and MADIS systems are not the only new systems the U.S. has deployed on Philippine territory. Specifically, we refer to the NMESIS system belonging to the Marine Corps, its most recent anti-ship missile defense system. Its deployment in the northern region of Luzon Island marked the first time that a capability of this type was positioned so close to mainland Chinese territory, in an area of great strategic relevance due to the high volume of commercial shipping traffic.
*Image credits: U.S. Army
You may also like: The U.S. Navy successfully completed the launch of a missile powered by a solid-fuel ramjet engine
