British Army Completes First Test of Drone Killing Radio Frequency Weapon

February 1, 2025

The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapons (RFDEW) demonstrator mounted to a British Army truck. (Image: UK Ministry of Defense)

British soldiers have successfully trialed for the first time a game-changing weapon that can take down a swarm of drones using radio waves for less than the cost of a pack of mince pies.

The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) development system can detect, track and engage a range of threats across land, air and sea.

RFDEWs are capable of neutralizing targets up to 1km away with near instant effect and at an estimated cost of 10p per shot fired, providing a cost-effective complement to traditional missile-base air defense systems.

The RFDEW is different from Laser Directed Energy Weapons – such as DragonFire - because it uses a radio frequency to disrupt hostile threats, rather than a laser beam of light energy.

The weapon uses high frequency waves to disrupt or damage critical electronic components inside devices such as drones, causing them to be immobilized or fall out of the sky. It can also be used against threats on land and at sea.

The British Army successfully trialed a demonstrator version of the RFDEW. The development system has been produced by a consortium led by Thales UK and including sub-contractors QinetiQ, Teledyne e2v and Horiba Mira and supports up to 135 high-skilled jobs in the UK.

This progress helps deliver on the Government’s Plan for Change by rapidly advancing technologies and building on the strong foundation of national security.

Its high level of automation means the system can be operated by a single person and could be mounted onto a military vehicle, such as a MAN SV, to provide mobility.

“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,” Minister for Defense Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle MP, said in a press release. “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 demonstration of the UK remaining at the forefront of directed energy weapons and developing a crucial advantage against the emerging threats we face.”

A live firing trial was recently completed by the Army’s Royal Artillery Trials and Development Unit and 7 Air Defence Group at a range in West Wales, where they successfully targeted and engaged uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), in a first for the British Armed Forces.

The user experimentation trials completed in recent months have enabled Army air defence personnel to explore and exercise the capability’s potential in different configurations across a variety of range environments, threat types and engagement scenarios.

This activity follows the development process announced back in May and delivered by Team HERSA - a joint enterprise between UK MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

“Getting this technology into the hands of our service personnel is hugely rewarding,” said Dstl Program Lead, Matt Cork. “Dstl has worked collaboratively with DE&S and industry which has meant the rapid evolution of radio frequency technology.”

This latest trial marks a pivotal moment in the UK’s ongoing efforts to enhance the future operational capabilities of the Armed Forces and offers a precise, powerful, and cost-effective means to defeat multiple aerial threats.

The trials program will continue to enable further development and experimentation, while Team HERSA continues to work with operators to develop RFDEW requirements, doctrine and technology, shaping the next generation of mission-optimized RFDEWs.

This article was written by a team of researchers and engineers for the UK Ministry of Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (London, UK). For more information, visit here .