London The government said on Thursday that the British army conducted a successful field test for a new type of weapons designed to land several drones in a coordinated attack. in statementThe government said that the British soldiers “have succeeded in tracking, targeting and defeating swarms of drones” for the first time using the “new power weapon directed to have been developed in the United Kingdom”
“RAPIDDESTROYER”, the power weapon directed to radio frequencies (RF Dew) was developed by a consortium led by the British arm of the French defense giant Thales. The test was conducted in the Wales Military Arms Group, “and it was the largest anti -army squadron exercise conducted by the British army so far,” according to the government.
In video to publish On social media, the Ministry of Defense said that the RF Dew systems are using the radio wave energy “or” disrupting “or” damage “the ingredients of the drone directly, instead of disrupting their contacts with the ground operators.
At a cost of about $ 0.18 per shot launched, the government said that RF Dews can provide “costly complementary supplement for traditional air defense.”
The Ministry of Defense in the United Kingdom 
The army said that during the trial of the Rapiddestroyer system in Wales, the weapon was used to intercept more than 100 drones. The government has confirmed that RF Dew systems are currently effective against targets in a range of about half a mile, and “against threats that cannot be disturbed by using electronic war.” Work to increase its effective scope continues.
It is not the first weapon to use high -frequency energy to target unmanned air vehicles. The US military has experienced at least two arms systems designer to land drones, but both use microwave energy instead of radio waves.
In 2023, US Air Force Research Laboratory He said She had a successful test for her high tactical operational response (THOR), “while a set of multiple targets” is at a test site at the Kertland Air Force Base in New Mexico.
The UK announcement comes in the wake of the British government, which announces the largest increase in spending on the national defense since the end of the Cold War – and a statement issued on Thursday determined that these advanced weapons will be part of this investment.
“The government greatly increases the percentage of equipment purchases (the Ministry of Defense) on new technologies, which spends at least 10 % of 2025-26,” the statement said.
She said that RF Dew can be used “to protect the UK from unlimited drones in security sensitive areas such as defense rules, and can play a role in preventing airports.”
The incentive was highlighted to push progress in such weapons by the use of drones for Russia in three years The war against neighboring UkraineThe UK government said.
The government said: “Drinch swarms are increasingly shown in fighting on the front lines in Ukraine,” the government said. “UK defense intelligence estimates that last year Ukraine had to defend attacks from more than 18,000 drones.”
Justin Bronk from the Royal United Services Institute, an army -focused research center in London, He told the Financial Times “High -energy microwave systems are a very effective tool for defense against large numbers of (drones) and cruise missiles as well.”
Smaller weapons are deployed to intercept or destroy drones by military forces and police all over the world. During the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024, French law enforcement agencies It has been intercepted by more than 50 drones Using hand -carried weapons.
In 2015, an American of Space and Defense Behemoth Boeing sophisticated Laser weapon is able to land a drone by burning its components less than 15 seconds.
He contributed to this report.
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