British army successfully shoots down swarms of drones with energy weapon
The British army is testing an energy weapon based on radio waves to destroy swarms of drones. The system impresses with its low deployment costs.
(Image: Dmitry Kalinovsky/Shutterstock.com)
The British armed forces have successfully shot down swarms of drones using an energy weapon based on radio waves. As part of a test, over 100 drones were successfully captured and destroyed, including two swarms of eight drones each, according to the British Ministry of Defense.
Also effective against fully autonomous drones
The system, dubbed "RapidDestroyer", uses high-frequency radio waves to disrupt or damage electronic components in drones and missiles. As a result, the devices then crash. It has a range of around one kilometer and can neutralize several targets simultaneously. Unlike a jammer, which only cuts a drone's connection to the pilot, the energy weapon attacks the electronics themselves. As a result, targets that fly fully autonomously and are resistant to jamming attempts can also be effectively engaged.
The system is mounted on the back of a truck and uses radar to detect even the smallest targets in the airspace. It was developed by an industrial consortium led by the French company Thales.
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The Ministry of Defense estimates the operational costs at only around ten cents per "shot" of the energy weapon, mainly for the electricity required. This makes the system particularly suitable for combating low-cost, small targets such as quadcopters or the FPV drones equipped with explosive devices that are ubiquitous in the Ukraine war. Shooting them down with anti-aircraft missiles is often technically impossible or expensive due to the small size of the target.
The British Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the system in its current form is a technology demonstrator and will not be introduced into the armed forces. However, the aim of the research is the actual development of an operational defense system.
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The use of energy weapons to defend against air targets is a very active field of research. For example, the British armed forces tested a laser-based system in 2024. Another laser weapon called "DragonFire" is to be installed on British Navy ships as early as 2027.
(acha)
