Stellius is developing megawatt-class microwave systems to counter drone swarms

Stellius’s founder described the company as a developer of high-energy power systems in the United States, spanning directed-energy systems, high-power microwaves and compact fusion. The company intends to build more compact and powerful systems with vertically integrated U.S. production, including for military users. The founder said the main current application for high-power microwaves is defense: they can disable drone electronics, including in swarms, without expending expensive munitions. He also cited possible applications against the electronics of humanoid robots and satellites and in protecting space infrastructure; affecting people is not the objective.

Stellius is targeting a 1–2-mile range for complete area denial, with disruption and jamming at greater distances. The founder described the power range of the devices under development as 100 kilowatts to 1 megawatt. He said 100-kW-class devices can be deployed on mobile platforms, while megawatt-class systems are intended mainly for stationary use, protecting forward operating bases, data centers and borders. He stressed that microwave systems would be one component of a layered defense.

The company began around June and signed a $2 million contract to build pilot systems. It then raised a $5 million pre-seed round. The founder named Jamie Gall of Wave Function, Qubit Capital, Mana Ventures and Shervin Deshavar among the company’s supporters.

Separately, the company is only beginning research and design for a compact fusion system. The founder suggested that a successful development could change how things move, from hypersonic and supersonic vehicles to spaceflight; this is not an existing company technology but an objective and prediction.