Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt publicly revealed a new high-powered electromagnetic (HPEM) weapon for the first time at the Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX) 2025, marking a significant expansion of its counter-drone and air-defense capabilities. The weapon, produced by Germany’s Diehl Defence, has now been delivered to the Egyptian Air Defence Forces (EADF), confirming long-standing speculation about Cairo’s acquisition of advanced non-kinetic systems.
At the exhibition, Diehl’s Guardian system featuring the HPEM SkyWolf emitter, was displayed beside one of Egypt’s newly acquired IRIS-T SL surface-to-air missile launchers. Both systems were painted in identical camouflage patterns, underscoring their integrated operational role within Egypt’s air defense architecture.
Diehl initially disclosed in 2022 that it had secured a contract to supply the HPEM SkyWolf to an unnamed African customer. Egypt later emerged as the only confirmed buyer of Diehl’s IRIS-T SL system on the continent, after Berlin approved the sale of 16 batteries to Cairo in late 2021. The first of these batteries appeared publicly during a military parade in October 2024, commemorating the 1973 Arab–Israeli War.
The HPEM SkyWolf forms the core of Diehl’s Guardian protection system, which is designed to shield high-value air-defense assets such as IRIS-T SL launchers, from small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), loitering munitions, and electronic reconnaissance drones. Using a large horn antenna mounted on the platform, the system emits bursts of high-powered electromagnetic energy that can jam communication and navigation signals at extended distances. At very close range, its pulses can damage or disrupt onboard electronics, forcing drones to malfunction, crash, or lose coordination.
One of the system’s major advantages is its ability to neutralize multiple UAVs simultaneously, including swarms and autonomous drones that are not dependent on radio communication and even those guided via fiber-optic links. This capability is increasingly important as states confront evolving drone threats on modern battlefields.
Its deployment reflects Egypt’s broader push to modernize its air defense network and to incorporate advanced technologies capable of dealing with small, low-cost aerial threats that traditional missile-based systems are not optimized to counter. By pairing the IRIS-T SL with a non-kinetic emitter like the SkyWolf, Egypt is building a layered defense model similar to those adopted by leading NATO militaries.
The presence of the SkyWolf at EDEX 2025 marks the first time the system has been displayed publicly in Egypt, providing rare insight into the country’s expanding portfolio of electronic warfare assets. Analysts view its integration with the IRIS-T SL system as a sign that Cairo aims to combine conventional missile systems with next-generation defensive tools to secure critical infrastructure and strengthen battlefield resilience.
