New weapon to blast drones out of the sky using radio waves being developed, MoD says

The weapon emits radio waves to disrupt or damage the crucial electronic components on vehicles and drones. Credit: MoD / PA

A new weapon which uses radio waves to blast drones out of the sky is being developed for the UK's armed forces.

The weapon emits radio waves to disrupt or damage the crucial electronic components on vehicles and drones causing them to stop and fall out of the sky.

The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) can be used on land, air and sea. It has a range of 1km, which could be extended.

It can be mounted on to various military vehicles and will use a mobile power source to produce pulses of a radio frequency energy in a beam that can fire sequenced shots at a single target or a series of targets.

The new weapon will be tested by British soldiers over the summer. Credit: MoD / PA

Last month, Rishi Sunak promised an extra £75 billion in defence spending over the next six years, as he warned the world is “the most dangerous it has been” since the end of the Cold War.

The prime minister said the UK will spend 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence by 2030.

The new weapon is being billed as a 'cost-effective alternative' to traditional missiles, with an estimated cost of 10p per radio wave shot.

Minister for defence procurement James Cartlidge said: “We are already a force to be reckoned with on science and technology, and 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 new weapon will be tested by British soldiers over the summer.

It is being developed by a joint team from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), working with UK industry under Project Hersa.

DSTL chief executive Paul Hollinshead said: “These game-changing systems will deliver decisive operational advantage to the UK armed forces, saving lives and defeating deadly threats.“World-class capabilities such as this are only possible because of decades of research, expertise and investment in science and technology at DSTL and our partners in UK industry.”

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