Major Defense Contractor Unveils New Tech to Stop Drone Swarms
Lockheed Martin’s CEO Jim Taiclet says the company has developed AI-powered systems aimed at stopping drone swarms. Its “Sanctum” system is designed to detect incoming drones, predict their paths, and than intercept or disable them-envisioned as a way to counter coordinated, large-scale drone attacks. Taiclet also highlights a related concept called “MORFIUS,” which can fly alongside small enemy drones and incapacitate them using microwave pulses, with claims that one mission could target dozens of drones without conventional weapon fire.
The article notes a key challenge in drone defense: taking down swarms effectively while keeping countermeasures cheaper than the drones themselves. As one example, Lockheed Martin repurposed Hellfire missiles into ground-to-air interceptors networked with Sanctum AI to destroy low-cost drones.
It also emphasizes that swarms rely heavily on data flows, and that disrupting communication, processing, or geolocation can undermine a swarm’s effectiveness.
Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet unveiled a new system powered by artificial intelligence that is meant to stop drone swarms.
The defense contractor’s Sanctum system uses AI to detect drones, forecast where they are headed, and then intercept or disable them, according to a May 21 report from Fox Business.
That includes hordes of drones attacking a target all at once.
“We are inserting technology of all types into our systems,” Taiclet said.
“This technology alone is fantastic in being able to essentially hit a bullet with a bullet in space and destroy an incoming ballistic missile that’s threatening our people, threatening our bases, threatening our allies,” he described.
“But along with that, we’ve got to match — with technology — other threats, and we want to match the threat to the cost of our counterthreat.”
BREAKING:
Ukraine releases videos of its massive drone swarm attack in the Russian port city of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea.
FP-2 drones struck a Russian missile corvette.@DenShtilierman & Co are doing serious damage on a daily basis now pic.twitter.com/fjSDtJ5W8v
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 23, 2026
Lockheed Martin is also creating a system called MORFIUS, which can fly next to small enemy drones and hit them with microwave pulses.
“This drone that we’re building with the help of AI will enable us to attack 50 different drones with one mission without firing any weaponry,” Taiclet said.
A major concern is taking down drones while keeping costs of munitions low.
As one example, Lockheed Martin repurposed Hellfire missiles into ground-to-air interceptors that can destroy drones.
“We basically have a four-pack of these Hellfire missiles. We’ve reconfigured them with new technology,” he remarked.
“We connect it with the Sanctum AI, and we can now use that type of missile to destroy these incoming cheap drones.”
As drones redefine warfare, many nations are not only racing to increase their drone technology, but their capacity to defend against drone attacks.
A 2022 paper from the U.S. Army War College noted that “more than any other weapon system, drone swarms are dependent on information.”
“Virtually every swarm-related capability requires mastery of information flows that let swarms grow in size, adopt complex behaviors, and operate in multiple domains simultaneously,” it said.
“These advantages, however, also pose a significant vulnerability. Disabling, disrupting, or manipulating swarm communication, information processing, and geolocation can disable or defeat a swarm.”
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