Let’s face it, weaponized drones are a big problem, but the British Army’s Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RF DEW) aims to change that. This fascinating piece of tech was specifically designed to tackle drone swarms by disrupting or destroying their electronic components.
It’s part of Project Ealing, a joint effort by the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), collaborating with a consortium called Team Hersa. Unlike traditional missile-based defenses or electronic jammers that confuse drone signals, the RF DEW is a “hard-kill” system. It sends out high-frequency radio waves in a focused beam to zap the electronics inside drones, making them malfunction or crash almost right away.
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This super-strong microwave of sorts goes after the sensitive circuits in a drone’s navigation, cameras, or controls. It works up to 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) away, but the makers are trying to make it reach even farther. The system can take on several drones at once, which is great for stopping drone swarms—bunches of small, cheap drones that can overpower normal defenses.
The RF DEW is mostly automatic, needing only one person to run it, and can be put on different things, like trucks (such as the RMMV HX60 4×4) or ships, so it can move around and work on land, sea, or in the air. It’s got a set of sensors, including a wide-area surveillance radar and an optical camera for detecting, tracking, and identifying targets.
One of the RF DEW’s biggest selling points is its cost-effectiveness. Each shot is estimated at just 10 pence (about $.13 cents), a fraction of the cost of missile-based systems like the Aster, which can run $1.3–2.5 million per unit. This makes it a game-changer for defending against low-cost drone swarms.
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,” said Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP, Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry.
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