British army tests ‘game-changing’ weapon in the war against drones
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Weapons such as surface-to-air missiles can cost many times more than the drones they are trying to shoot down. A new ‘game-changing’ weapon to take out enemy drones has been trialled by British soldiers. 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 (0.62 miles) away.
![[The Ministry of Defence truck mounted, Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) development system that can detect, track and engage a range of threats across land, air and sea]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/23/09/01JFPQT4P2YK2XD70C945NDGW3.jpg)
It uses high-frequency radio waves to take down drones. 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 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 Ms 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.
