An engineer works on a drone. (EvgeniyShkolenko / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin June 8, 2026 at 6:00am
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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Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
