A British Army radio wave trial has taken down a drone swarm for the first time.
In what was the largest counter-drone swarm exercise British soldiers have been involved with to date, the soldiers successfully tracked, targeted and defeated the drone attack by using a new directed energy weapon which has been developed in the UK.
The trial, which was recently completed at a weapons range in west Wales, applied a type of radiofrequency directed energy weapon (RF DEW) which has proven capable of neutralising multiple targets simultaneously with near-instant effect.
The device’s high frequency radio waves disrupt or damage electronic components inside the drones, which then causes them to crash or malfunction.
RF DEW systems, which the Government has invested more than £40 million into researching, can defeat airborne targets at ranges of up to 1km and are effective against threats which cannot be jammed using electronic warfare.
Successful experiments included the Army taking down two swarms of drones in a single engagement, while the project saw more than 100 drones being tracked, engaged and defeated using the weapon across all trials.
Sgt Mayers, a senior remotely-piloted air systems operator from 106 Regiment Royal Artillery, was the first British soldier to bring down drones using a radiofrequency weapon.
He said: “RF DEW is an exciting concept. 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.”
It costs just 10p to fire each shot, which the Ministry of Defence has said would provide a cost-effective complement to traditional missile-based air defence systems.
The successful trial comes as drone swarms are increasingly seen in use in front-line combat in Ukraine.
Ukraine had to defend against attacks from more than 18,000 drones last year, according to UK Defence Intelligence.
‘This experiment exemplifies British innovation’
The Government will spend at least 10 per cent of the MoD’s equipment procurement spend on novel technologies from 2025-26 as part of its Plan for Change, which will see improved national security.
Earlier this year, John Healey, the Defence Secretary, pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by April 2027.
Maria Eagle, the minister for defence procurement and industry, said: “This significant experiment exemplifies the strength of British innovation – driven by our home-grown industry, technology firms and scientific talent.
“We continue to strengthen our defence sector, adding more cutting-edge capabilities to keep the UK secure at home and strong abroad, while making defence an engine for growth across our towns and cities.”
The development of RF DEW systems could protect the UK from disruption at airports and unidentified drones at security sensitive areas such as defence bases.
The systems also support the Defence Industrial Strategy, helping the UK face global threats.
Nigel MacVean, managing director of Thales Integrated Airspace-protection Systems, which led the development of the RF DEW demonstrator, said: “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.”