New British Army Energy Weapon Blasts Drones By The Swarm

As drones rapidly shift from niche gadgets to powerful tools of modern warfare and potential threats to civilian safety, the need for robust countermeasures has never been more urgent. In a major technological leap, the British Army has unveiled and successfully tested a Radiofrequency Directed Energy Weapon (RF DEW) capable of downing entire swarms of drones in a blink—and at the cost of a mere 10 pence per shot.

Unlike traditional systems that target individual drones, this weapon harnesses high-frequency radio waves to disable multiple unmanned aerial threats simultaneously by frying their electronics. The trials in West Wales demonstrated the weapon’s ability to neutralize two drone swarms, totaling 100 drones, with near-instant results.

This groundbreaking weapon doesn’t rely on jamming drone control signals like conventional electronic warfare systems. Instead, it emits a blast of electromagnetic radiation that either scrambles or irreparably damages the drone’s internal circuitry, effectively rendering it useless mid-air. With an effective range of one kilometer (0.62 miles), the system can cover significant ground with each low-cost burst of energy.

Drones are becoming increasingly cheap, small, and deployable in swarms, making them harder to detect and defeat with conventional anti-air defenses. In 2024 alone, Russia deployed 18,000 drone attacks against Ukraine, underscoring how pivotal drones have become in the theater of modern combat. Meanwhile, in the US, Bard College’s Center for the Study of the Drone reported 241 near-collisions between drones and civilian aircraft in the past year, highlighting the growing concern for air safety.

Built by Team HERSA, a collaboration between the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), and industry partners including Thales UK, QinetiQ, Teledyne e2v, and Horiba Mira, the RF DEW system is not just powerful—it’s also user-friendly. Requiring just one operator and mountable on various platforms like trucks and armored vehicles, its automation and adaptability make it practical for a wide range of deployment scenarios.

Sergeant Mayers, a senior operator from 106 Regiment Royal Artillery, praised the system’s ease of use during the trials, noting:

“We found the demonstrator quick to learn and easy to use. With improvements on range and power, which could come with further development, this would be a great asset to Layered Air Defence.”