Dedrone and Epirus barely overlap on a capability matrix, which is exactly why the comparison is useful: together they bracket the counter-UAS kill chain. Dedrone, acquired by Axon in October 2024, is the detection-and-analytics layer, airspace monitoring software fed by distributed sensors and sold to airports, stadiums, governments and, through Axon, US law enforcement. Epirus is the defeat layer at its most concentrated: Leonidas, a solid-state high-power microwave system built to disable many drones at once, developed with and delivered to the US Army. A buyer rarely chooses between them; understanding which problem each one actually solves prevents the most common procurement mistake in this market.
Side By Side
| Dedrone | Epirus | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 | 2018 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco / Kassel, Germany (Axon-owned) | Torrance, California |
| Primary Product | DroneTracker airspace monitoring software plus integrated sensors | Leonidas solid-state high-power microwave (HPM) defeat system |
| Ownership | Acquired by Axon, October 2024 | Private; venture-backed |
| Anchor Customers | Airports, stadiums, government facilities, US law enforcement via Axon | US Army RCCTO: four IFPC-HPM systems delivered May 2024; $43.5M Gen II contract 2025 |
| Defeat Capability | Detection-focused; defeat via integration partners | Wide-arc electromagnetic defeat of multiple drones simultaneously |
| Regulatory Position | Detection lawful for civil operators; SLTT channel via Axon since July 2026 rule | Defeat sits with military and authorised federal users |
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OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE KILL CHAIN
Dedrone's product is knowledge: which drones are in the airspace, where, how often, and what changed. The DroneTracker platform fuses RF sensors, radar and cameras into monitoring and analytics that civil operators can lawfully own and run, and the Axon acquisition in October 2024 folded that capability into the dominant US law-enforcement technology channel, alongside body cameras and digital evidence. Its economics look like enterprise software: multi-site deployments, recurring licences, and expansion within existing accounts.
Epirus builds the opposite product. Leonidas is a solid-state high-power microwave system that disables drone electronics across a wide engagement arc, built for the moment when many cheap drones arrive at once and interceptor magazines run out. The US Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office took delivery of four IFPC-HPM systems in May 2024 and awarded Epirus a $43.5 million contract for two Generation II systems in 2025 (Epirus). Its economics look like a defence programme: prototype awards, low-rate production, and the long pull toward a programme of record.
PROCUREMENT FIT
Dedrone fits any buyer whose first problem is situational awareness, which in practice is most civil buyers: airports building an airspace picture, stadium and event operators, correctional facilities mapping contraband deliveries, and police forces. The July 2026 SLTT interim final rule strengthens the Axon channel materially, because the state, local and correctional agencies now authorised to conduct counter-UAS operations start with detection-and-warning certification, exactly the tier Dedrone serves (Federal Register).
Epirus fits buyers with engagement authority and a mass-threat problem: military base protection, force protection against drone swarms, and fixed-site defence of critical assets where kinetic interceptors are too expensive per engagement to survive the cost-exchange arithmetic. It is not a civil product today; its market grows with military HPM procurement across the Army, Marine Corps and allied forces.
When To Choose
Choose Dedrone if:
- Airspace awareness and detection analytics are the immediate requirement
- Civil or law-enforcement buyer operating under detection-tier authority
- Axon ecosystem integration matters (evidence, dispatch, existing procurement relationships)
Choose Epirus if:
- Defeat of multiple simultaneous drones is the defining threat scenario
- Military or authorised federal buyer with engagement authority
- Cost-per-engagement against cheap mass drones drives the requirement
Full Profiles
Dedrone
Washington DC metropolitan area, USA · Parent: NASDAQ: AXON
AI-based airspace security platform. Acquired by Axon Enterprise (Taser maker) in October 2024. Now the counter-drone arm of one of the largest public-safety technology companies in the US.
View profile →Epirus
Torrance, California, USA · Private
High-power microwave (HPM) counter-drone systems. Leonidas platform is the leading non-kinetic solution for defeating drone swarms at distance.
View profile →Sources & References
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Drone Intelligence, Comparison. Compiled from public filings, primary sources, and verified disclosures. Last updated 21 July 2026.
paul@droneintelligence.ai