New 10p-a-shot anti-drone weapon being developed for UK’s Armed Forces

Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge has seen how the new Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon is being developed (Picture: MOD)

Alex Candlin 16th May 2024 at 9:27am

A game-changing new weapon that can disable multiple drones in one shot is currently being developed for the UK’s Armed Forces.

The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) will reportedly be able to prevent attack drones from reaching their targets while being extremely cheap to use.

“These game-changing systems will deliver decisive operational advantage to the UK Armed Forces, saving lives and defeating deadly threats,” said Defence Science and Technology Laboratory chief executive Paul Hollinshead.

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Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge said: “We are already a force to be reckoned with on science and technology.

“Developments like RFDEW not only make our personnel more lethal and better protected on the battlefield, but also keep the UK a world leader on innovative military kit.

“The war in Ukraine has shown us the importance of deploying uncrewed systems, but we must be able to defend against them too.

“As we ramp up our defence spending in the coming years, our Defence Drone Strategy will ensure we are at the forefront of this warfighting evolution.”

The RFDEW system is being developed for the British Armed Forces as part of the Government’s plan to put the UK defence industry on a war footing (Picture: MOD)

The versatile weapons system can track and destroy threats on the ground, in the air and at sea up to 1km away.

Once a target has been identified, the weapon beams a radio wave to disrupt or damage the electronic components of the enemy UAVs, causing them to stop in their tracks or fall out of the sky.

And unlike expensive missile systems, RFDEW only costs 10p per shot.

This new project forms part of the work to put the UK defence industry on a war footing following the Prime Minister’s announcement last month of an increase to the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.

James Cartlidge was given the opportunity to learn about the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon system (Picture: MOD)
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