British army personnel have successfully tracked, targeted and neutralised swarms of drones in the latest trial of a new directed energy weapon developed in the UK.
The trial was conducted at a weapons range in West Wales and represents the largest counter-drone swarm exercise ever undertaken by the British Army. The weapon system demonstrator is classified as a Radiofrequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW), which has demonstrated the ability to neutralize multiple targets simultaneously with almost immediate effect.
This system employs high-frequency radio waves to disrupt or damage essential electronic components within drones, leading to their crash or malfunction. With an estimated cost of 10p per shot, if operationalized, it could serve as a cost-effective alternative to traditional missile-based air defence systems.
RFDEW systems are capable of defeating airborne targets at distances of up to 1km and are particularly effective against threats that cannot be countered through electronic warfare. The successful trial occurs at a time when drone swarms are increasingly utilized in frontline combat scenarios in Ukraine, where UK Defence Intelligence estimates indicate that Ukraine faced over 18,000 drone attacks last year.
As national security is a cornerstone of the Plan for Change, the government is significantly enhancing the share of the Ministry of Defence’s equipment procurement budget allocated to innovative technologies, committing to at least 10% from 2025-26. This initiative follows the announcement of the most substantial sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, with the UK set to allocate 2.5% of its GDP to defence by April 2027.
The RFDEW was created as part of Project Ealing and has been developed by a Thales UK-led consortium under a contract awarded by Team HERSA, the joint enterprise between Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).
The UK Government has allocated over GBP 40 million towards RFDEW research and development thus far, which has supported 135 highly skilled jobs in Northern Ireland and the South-East of England.
