#Drones

In a war defined by drones, satellites, and electronic warfare, videos of Russian soldiers on horseback in occupied Ukraine are a symptom of exhaustion—an army running out of fuel but rich in imperial myths.

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.