UK Military Destroys Drone Swarm With New Microwave Weapon

British military personnel have successfully tracked and neutralized a swarm of drones during tests of a new microwave directed-energy weapon, the RF DEW, the Ministry of Defence announced.

The trials, held at a test site in West Wales, were the British Army’s largest to date involving drone swarms.

During a single engagement, two swarms were neutralized. In total, the system tracked and disabled over 100 drones as part of the development program.

“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,” the British military explains.

The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RF DEW) can engage aerial targets at distances of up to 1 km. It uses high-frequency radio waves to disrupt or damage the internal electronics of drones, causing them to crash or lose control.

The system is designed to defeat threats that are resistant to conventional electronic warfare tools.

According to the MoD, neutralization occurs “almost instantly,” making it suitable for defending sensitive locations such as airfields and military installations.

The UK government has invested more than £40 million in the RF DEW project. The estimated cost per shot is around 10 pence, which could make it a cost-effective complement to traditional air defense systems.

The system was developed by a consortium led by Thales UK, working with QinetiQ, Teledyne e2v, and Horiba Mira, with support from the Ministry of Defence.

RF DEW was first unveiled in May 2024, and its initial successful tests were reported in December of the same year.

The UK military aims to bring the system into service within several years, enabling brigade-level units to counter drones more effectively.

The UK Ministry of Defence announced in March that it plans to integrate DragonFire laser systems into the Royal Navy’s air defense capabilities.