BON AI Wins Excellence in Technology Award for Counter-Drone HPM Technology

Proposing Miniaturization of HPM and Strategies for Military Application

BON AI announced on April 22 that a research paper on "Directional High-Power Microwave (HPM) Weapon Technology for Counter-Drone Applications," in which its research team participated, received an Excellence in Technology Award.

Founded in 2025, BON AI is a physical AI systems company that provides integrated solutions from robotics hardware to AI brains and command and control (C2) operation programs.

Under the leadership of CEO Do Kyung Lee, BON AI has consistently conducted research with relevant experts to promote the practical adoption of drone and counter-drone systems in Korea and to propose pathways for the development of the defense industry ecosystem. As a result, in December last year, two research papers were published in the journal of the Korea Counter-Drone Industry Association.

Among them, the paper titled "Miniaturization and Weight Reduction Technologies for Mounting Directional High-Power Microwave Weapons on Drones" presented approaches for miniaturizing HPMs using gallium nitride-based high-power amplifiers and related technologies, as well as strategies for military implementation.

Lee Dokyung, CEO of BONAI AI. BONAI AI

HPMs are drawing attention as next-generation electronic warfare weapons, as they can selectively neutralize an adversary's electronic equipment or command and control systems without harming civilians. However, the need to achieve high power output has traditionally resulted in larger equipment, limiting their deployment on the battlefield.

BON AI explained that by applying the miniaturization and weight reduction technologies proposed in this research, the weight and volume of components such as devices, batteries, and cooling systems in HPMs could be reduced by approximately 30–60 percent. This could enable mounting not only on drones but also on other military unmanned aerial vehicles.

In addition, another paper titled "A Study on the Design Methodology of Water Cannons for Drone Neutralization," which dealt with a cost-effective and civilian-safe method of responding to drones using water cannons mixed with abrasive agents, markers, and luminous agents, received an Innovative Idea Award.

CEO Lee stated, "By fully leveraging our innovative ideas and execution capabilities, we will establish ourselves as a leader in next-generation defense industry innovation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.