#Drone Development

Dubbed after the Spartan king who held the pass at Thermopylae, Leonidas is a high-power microwave (HPM) system designed to “burn out” drone electronics. Kyiv—which has invited manufacturers to prove gear in combat conditions—sees systems like Leonidas as a potential game-changer against the waves of FPV and loitering munitions that have reshaped modern battlefields.

Vadym Adamov, a 21-year-old filmmaker who enlisted at 18 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now serves as a drone operator. Between rotations at the front, he tours campuses and countries to show how drones reshaped the war—and why Europe must rethink its approach.