The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) is part of the UK Government's policy to respond to a changing geopolitical situation, putting the country's defense on a further war footing by increasing its spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. This policy shift includes accelerating the deployment of lasers and other directed energy weapons.
This last point is extremely important, because knocking out a drone that costs a few thousand dollars with a missile costing millions of dollars per shot is a poor economic solution – see, for example, the 1.3-2.5 Sea Viper missile million dollars used to take down a drone worth $20,000, as reported Navy Belvedere. Additionally, missile stockpiles tend to be quite small and swarms of cheap drones could easily deplete them.
Energy weapons solve these problems because, while the weapon itself costs money, they are surprisingly cheap on a shot-for-shot basis. And since they fire energy rather than solid bullets, they can potentially fire an infinite number of times as long as the energy holds.
The RFDEW is an autonomous energy weapon that can be used by a single person and can detect, track and engage multiple threats at a range of up to one kilometer (0.62 miles). It can also be installed on everything from a warship to the back of a truck. The main target will be drones or aircraft electronics, blasting them with a burst of electromagnetic radiation.
Developed as part of Project Ealing, the RFDEW is expected to be tested by the 7th Air Defense Group with the dragon fire laser weapon in September. The results will be used to evaluate the systems and determine possible improvements.
“We are already a force to be reckoned with when it comes to science and technology, and developments such as RFDEW not only make our personnel deadlier and better protected on the battlefield, but also maintain the UK as a leader world leader in innovative military equipment”, declared the Minister of Defense. Defense Procurement, James Cartlidge. “As we increase our defense spending in the years to come, our defense drone strategy will ensure we are at the forefront of this evolution in warfare.”
Source: British Government