The United Kingdom has announced the commencement of development for an advanced Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW).

It aimed at neutralizing drone swarms at an astonishingly low cost of just 10 pence (13 cents) per shot.

This innovative weapon system utilizes radio waves to disrupt or damage the electronic systems of enemy vehicles, effectively halting their movement or causing them to plummet from the sky, as stated in a recent announcement by the UK Ministry of Defence.

As the development of RFDEW progresses, it is expected to have a range exceeding 1 kilometer, enabling it to detect, track, and engage various threats across air, land, and sea domains.

The RFDEW beam, costing just 10p per shot, stands out as a notably cost-effective solution compared to conventional missile-based air defense systems, offering rapid and efficient neutralization of threatening drone swarms, as highlighted by the MoD.

Its impressive level of automation allows for single-person operation, enhancing its practicality and ease of use.

Moreover, this system is well-suited for safeguarding critical assets and bases, with the flexibility to be integrated onto various military vehicles for enhanced versatility in defense strategies.

While London did not specify the industry partners engaged in the design and development of the weapon, it highlighted the collaboration of a joint team comprising the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an innovation hub, Defence Equipment and Support (the UK’s military procurement arm), and Project Hersa (a UK industry entity).

Moving forward, the program’s agenda includes British soldier field tests scheduled for this summer, paving the way for the weapon’s entry into service in the foreseeable future.

The UK has emphasized the benefits of other low-cost shot per kill initiatives, recently highlighting the successful airborne targeting tests of the DragonFire laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) at the UK MoD’s Hebrides range in northwest Scotland.

DragonFire, priced at less than £10 ($13) per shot, was initiated as a £100 million ($127 million) program in 2017.

During the airborne targeting tests, a MoD spokesperson informed Breaking Defense that no Royal Navy ship had been selected to host the weapon “at this point of the trials,” but noted the possibility of the laser being deployed before the end of the decade.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the US Navy is intensifying its efforts to develop more cost-effective solutions for intercepting inexpensive drones or anti-ship missiles, instead of relying on costly conventional munitions.

Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, reflecting on Navy operations in the Red Sea earlier in the week, emphasized the necessity for investing in less expensive equipment to counter drones.

“We’re working towards that end, and we have some solutions that I can’t go into, but we are going to get after finding more cost-effective ways to address those lower-end threats,” he added.

Relevant articles:
– UK reveals development of low cost Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon, Breaking Defense
– Britain says it is developing a radio-wave weapon that can take out a swarm of drones for just $0.12 a shot, Yahoo
– New 10p-a-shot anti-drone weapon being developed for UK’s Armed Forces, Forces Network
– Britain reveals new ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ weapon to knock drones out of the sky, Daily Express