# U.S. directed-energy drone defense development > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-directed-energy-drone-defense-development > Updated: 2026-10-04T18:12:53.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2. The U.S. military is expanding its use of directed-energy technologies to counter drone threats. At Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the U.S. Space Force is implementing a laser weapon designed to provide a “kinetic kill” against drones in restricted airspace. This system aims to avoid the electronic interference caused by radio-frequency jammers, which can affect rockets and spacecraft during launch. Broadening this effort, the Pentagon has selected four high-energy laser and microwave weapon systems for operational testing through a pilot program managed by Joint Interagency Task Force 401. These systems, which include technologies from AeroVironment, Epirus, Kord, and Boeing, are being evaluated as cost-effective alternatives to conventional missiles. While lasers use heat to damage targets, microwave systems utilize electromagnetic energy to disrupt electronics. The U.S. Army has committed nearly $500 million toward the production of these new weapon generations. ## Timeline ### 2026-10-04: Pentagon selects laser and microwave weapons for drone defense testing The Pentagon is testing four high-energy laser and microwave weapon systems to counter drone threats, utilizing directed-energy technology as a cost-effective alternative to conventional missiles. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/pentagon-selects-laser-and-microwave-weapons-for-drone-defense-testing ### 2026-09-26: U.S. Space Force adds laser defenses to Cape Canaveral The U.S. Space Force is adding a directed-energy laser to Cape Canaveral to physically destroy drones, supplementing existing radio-frequency jammers and AI-driven sensor software. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-space-force-adds-laser-defenses-to-cape-canaveral --- Cite as: U.S. directed-energy drone defense development. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-directed-energy-drone-defense-development