The British Army has successfully tracked, targeted, and neutralised swarms of drones using a radiofrequency directed energy weapon (RF DEW) demonstrator during trials at the Air Defence Range Manorbier in West Wales.
The system was used by soldiers from 106 Regiment Royal Artillery, who took down over 100 drones during the trials, including two swarms in a single engagement. Sergeant Mayers, a senior remotely piloted air systems operator, became the first British soldier to defeat drones using this technology.
“RF DEW is an exciting concept,” said Sgt Mayers. “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 demonstrator was developed under Project Ealing by Team Hersa, a collaboration between Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and built by a Thales UK-led industry consortium.
The system uses high-frequency radio waves to disrupt or damage critical electronic components inside drones. It can defeat airborne targets at ranges up to 1 km and is effective against threats that cannot be jammed. Each shot is estimated to cost only a few pence.
Adam, from the DE&S Directed Energy Weapons team, stated:
“The purpose of this project is to develop an experimental directed energy weapon system that enables us to explore the system integration challenges and the operational challenges of fielding an RF DEW.”
Thales employs around 100 skilled workers in Northern Ireland on the project, with an additional 30–35 supply chain jobs located in Chelmsford, Essex.
Nigel MacVean, Managing Director of Thales Integrated Airspace-protection Systems, 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.”