FARNBOROUGH, U.K. - Lockheed Martin in Bethesda, Md., has introduced two air-defense systems designed to address the growing demand for affordable, scalable responses to emerging battlefield threats, including missile attacks and large-scale drone swarms.

The company unveiled the PAC-3 Adapted Capability Effector (PAC-3 ACE), a lower-cost interceptor designed to expand air-defense capacity, and the MORFIUS X-Rotor, an airborne high-power microwave (HPM) counter-uncrewed aircraft system (C-UAS) platform designed to engage multiple drones during a single flight.

Both systems address a growing challenge for modern military forces: maintaining effective defenses against increasingly complex and numerous threats while managing interceptor cost and inventory constraints.

Lower-cost interceptor

The PAC-3 ACE is designed as a complementary interceptor option to the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), providing what Lockheed Martin describes as a lower-cost air-defense effector option.

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Lockheed Martin says PAC-3 ACE will cost less than half as much per unit as a PAC-3 MSE interceptor while maintaining integration with the Patriot weapon system and the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS).

The interceptor is built around the existing PAC-3 fire-control architecture, which Lockheed Martin says will help accelerate development, testing, and deployment timelines.

Lockheed Martin says PAC-3 ACE is designed to counter airbreathing threats, cruise missiles, and close-range and short-range ballistic missiles.

The approach reflects a broader effort among U.S. and allied militaries to increase magazine depth - the number of available interceptors and defensive effects available during sustained combat operations.

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Recent conflicts have highlighted the challenge of defending against large numbers of inbound threats when the cost of an interceptor significantly exceeds the cost of the attacking system. A lower-cost interceptor could allow forces to preserve high-end weapons for more demanding engagements while maintaining protection against a broader range of threats.

High-power microwave counter-UAS system

Lockheed Martin also introduced the MORFIUS X-Rotor, an airborne HPM counter-UAS system designed to provide a reusable, non-kinetic option for defeating drone threats.

The system uses high-power microwave energy to defeat hostile drones without relying on a traditional kinetic interceptor. Lockheed Martin says MORFIUS X-Rotor is designed as a "one-to-many" system capable of engaging more than 50 drones during a single flight.

The system builds on previous MORFIUS variants that have conducted flight testing since 2017, according to Lockheed Martin. The company is accelerating prototype production of MORFIUS and its HPM payload while planning additional flight testing following demonstrations in Arizona, California, and Oklahoma.

Unlike some counter-drone systems that rely on dedicated sensors or fire-control radars, Lockheed Martin says MORFIUS is designed to integrate with existing command-and-control architectures and operate in a sensor-agnostic manner.

Kinetic and non-kinetic approaches

The introduction of PAC-3 ACE and MORFIUS X-Rotor highlights two complementary approaches to the future of air defense.

Kinetic interceptors, such as PAC-3 ACE, physically destroy targets using missiles or other projectiles. Their advantages include technological maturity, precision engagement, and demonstrated effectiveness against a range of aerial threats.

However, kinetic systems face a fundamental challenge: every engagement consumes a physical interceptor. Against adversaries capable of launching large numbers of inexpensive drones or missiles, the ability to sustain defensive operations depends on interceptor inventory, production capacity, and cost.

Reusable non-kinetic counter-UAS systems and directed-energy technologies approach the problem differently. Rather than destroying each target with a dedicated munition, these systems attempt to create repeatable defensive effects through electromagnetic energy, electronic attack, or other non-kinetic means.

High-power microwave systems are attracting interest for counter-drone missions because they can engage multiple targets rapidly while reducing the logistical burden of storing and transporting large numbers of interceptors.