The system is designed for “one to many” defense against drone swarms. Lockheed Martin said commercial swarms of hostile drones are becoming a major threat to allied forces.
MORFIUS X-Rotor uses a high-power microwave payload to disable drones. Its field recovery and reuse model is intended to keep the cost per kill low.
Lockheed Martin said MORFIUS is sensor and command-and-control agnostic. The system does not require a unique sensor to command-guide an engagement.
The company is accelerating prototype production for MORFIUS and its microwave payload. It is also preparing the next series of flight tests.
Those tests will build on work in Arizona, California and Oklahoma. Lockheed Martin said previous events examined flight, intercept and lethality conditions.
The company linked the system to the U.S. Department of War’s 2025-2028 Rapid Response Counter-UAS Roadmap. It said MORFIUS is aimed at affordable counter-drone capacity for U.S. and allied forces.
Lockheed Martin described MORFIUS as the only ground-launched, field-reusable airborne high-power microwave system able to deliver more than 50 drone kills per flight. It also said the system can use any command-and-control system and does not depend on fire-control radars.
MORFIUS X-Rotor builds on earlier variants that have flown since 2017. The system uses the same family of microwave effectors, which Lockheed Martin said have shown an ability to defeat hard targets while limiting collateral damage.
“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.”
The announcement places MORFIUS inside a wider push for scalable counter-UAS defenses. For Lockheed Martin, the offer is centered on reusable effects, lower engagement costs and rapid fielding against expanding drone-swarm threats.
