LONDON, Dec 23 — A new weapon that uses high-frequency radio waves to take out enemy drones has been trialled by British soldiers, reported German news agency (dpa).
The radio frequency-directed energy weapon (RFDEW) is intended to detect, track and destroy a range of threats across land, air and sea up to a kilometre away.
Defence Minister Maria Eagle said it was a “potentially game-changing” weapon.
The war in Ukraine and Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping have demonstrated how low-cost drones can have a devastating impact.
Traditional weapons such as surface-to-air missiles can cost many times more than the drones they are trying to shoot down but the RFDEW costs only 10p (50 sen) to fire.
The high-frequency waves disrupt or damage critical electronic components inside targets such as unmanned vehicles, causing them to be immobilised or fall out of the sky.
Defence procurement minister Eagle said: “The successful firing by the British soldiers of our radio frequency directed energy weapon is another step forward for a potentially game-changing sovereign weapon for the UK.
“It’s great to see defence experts and industry working collaboratively to put cutting-edge equipment in the hands of our armed forces.
“This is a demonstration of the UK remaining at the forefront of directed energy weapons and developing a crucial advantage against the emerging threats we face.”
The army successfully trialled a demonstrator version of the RFDEW in a live firing exercise against drones at a range in west Wales.
The development system has been produced by a consortium led by Thales UK, including sub-contractors QinetiQ, Teledyne e2v and Horiba Mira, and supports up to 135 high-skilled jobs in the UK.
— Bernama-dpa
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