PARIS — The British Army successfully tested a radio-wave weapon to knock out drone swarms, as militaries look for new ways to neutralize what has become one of the biggest threats on the modern battlefield.
The Army was able to defeat drone swarms for the first time in the latest trial of the weapon-system demonstrator, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Thursday. The weapon, developed by a consortium led by Thales UK, uses high-frequency radio waves to fry drone internals, disrupting or damaging critical electronic components and causing the drones to crash or malfunction.
Soldiers from 106 Regiment Royal Artillery took down two swarms of drones in a single engagement using the weapon, and more than 100 drones were immobilized across all trials, the MoD said. The radio-frequency, directed-energy weapon was capable of neutralizing multiple drone targets simultaneously with near-instant effect, it said.
The U.K. has invested more than £40 million (US$53 million) into research and development of the radio-wave weapons to date, it said. With an estimated cost of 10 pence per shot fired, “if developed into operational service it could provide a cost-effective complement to traditional missile-based air defense systems,” the government said.
Radio-frequency directed energy weapon systems can defeat airborne targets at ranges of up to 1 kilometer (0.62 mile), and are effective against targets that can’t be jammed using electronic warfare, according to the government.
Such systems could help protect security-sensitive areas such as defense bases from unidentified drones, as well as play a role in preventing disruption at airports, the government said. Drone sightings have caused airport shutdowns around the world in recent years.
The demonstrator weapon was quick to learn and easy to use, according to testimony from Sgt. Mayers, a senior remotely-piloted air systems operator from 106 Regiment Royal Artillery, who made history as the first British soldier to bring down drones using a radio-frequency weapon.
The trail was conducted at Air Defence Range Manorbier, a live-firing range in south-west Wales. The purpose of the project is to develop a weapon that allows the Army to test the integration challenges and operational challenges of fielding a radio-frequency, directed-energy weapon system, or RF DEW, the government said.
Thales have around 100 engineering and manufacturing staff in Northern Ireland working on the project, with another 30 to 35 supply chain jobs in Essex in east England, according to the MoD.
“Thales continues to be at the forefront of this pioneering technology, and we are proud to continue the research and development in this sector alongside our partners in government,” said Nigel MacVean, managing director of Thales Integrated Airspace-protection Systems.
The MoD said it’s working with a range of industry partners to provide U.K. forces with future RF DEW capabilities.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
