Ahead-looking: The UK Ministry of Defence has revealed it’s testing a futuristic weapon able to taking down drones utilizing nothing however radio waves. Remarkably, every “shot” prices lower than a “pack of mince pies.” The Radio Frequency Directed Vitality Weapon (RFDEW) has been in growth for a while, however British troopers not too long ago had the prospect to place it by way of its paces.
The Military’s Royal Artillery Trials and Improvement Unit, in collaboration with 7 Air Defence Group, efficiently carried out a stay firing trial in West Wales. This marked the primary use of the system towards Uncrewed Aerial Techniques (UAS) by the British Armed Forces. In contrast to laser-based vitality weapons that use concentrated gentle beams, the RFDEW disables drones and missiles by bombarding them with high-powered radio frequencies, successfully frying their inner electronics.
Laser-based weapon techniques have confirmed their efficacy towards particular person drones and different plane, however they face challenges when coping with swarms of drones. That is the place the RFDEW has proven superior potential.
Throughout the trials, the Military’s air protection groups efficiently detected, tracked, and engaged a number of drone targets at distances of as much as a kilometer. Impressively, every engagement value solely about 10p (13 cents) per shot.
The RFDEW trials mark a giant milestone not only for the UK’s directed vitality initiatives, however for quickly advancing navy tech usually. It appears to examine all of the containers – the press launch by the UK authorities highlights that it is extremely automated so it may be operated by a single individual, it is exact, it is comparatively low-cost, and it packs the punch to neutralize threats on land, within the air, and even over water.
The final bit is essential, suggesting that it may be used towards threats past aerial drones and missiles. The system can also be versatile when it comes to deployment and might be fitted onto any navy automobile.
The expertise was developed by British protection agency Thales, in partnership with QinetiQ, Teledyne e2v, and others. Its growth supported over 135 expert engineering jobs throughout the UK.
Authorities bigwigs are understandably hyped in regards to the profitable trials. Defence Minister Maria Eagle referred to as it “one other step ahead for a probably game-changing sovereign weapon” that can assist the UK preserve a “essential benefit towards the rising threats we face.”
Nevertheless, deploying the RFDEW operationally continues to be doubtless a way off. There’s doubtless nonetheless lots extra testing and fine-tuning wanted earlier than radio wave assaults change into customary British navy doctrine.
