British Army's new energy weapon destroys drones at a cost of just 10p per shot

The British Army has successfully trialled a direct energy weapon that can take down a swarm of drones – for around 10p a shot.

The radio frequency directed energy weapon (RFDEW) can hit land, air and sea threat targets more than a kilometre away with a near-instant effect and has an estimated cost of 10p per shot fired.

While the Armed Forces have recently tested incredible weapons such as DragonFire, the RFDEW is different because it uses radio frequency to disrupt hostile threats rather than a laser beam of light energy.

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Defence Procurement Minister Maria Eagle said: "The successful firing by the British soldiers of our radio frequency directed energy weapon is another step forward for a potentially game-changing sovereign weapon for the UK.   

"It's great to see defence experts and industry working collaboratively to put cutting-edge equipment in the hands of our Armed Forces.

"This is a demonstration of the UK remaining at the forefront of directed energy weapons and developing a crucial advantage against the emerging threats we face."

The test firing was conducted by members of the Royal Artillery Trials and Development Unit and 7 Air Defence Group in Wales.

In a first for the British Armed Forces, troops successfully targeted and engaged uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) using the weapon, proving its effectiveness.

The weapon uses high-frequency waves to disrupt or damage critical electronic components inside devices such as drones, knocking them out of the sky.

Anti-drone warfare is becoming a bigger priority for the British Army, which has also tested the SMASH X4 sighting system which helps troops on the ground shoot down drones.

The RFDEW system can also be attached to military vehicles such as a MAN SV, like the HELWS that was fitted to a Wolfhound armoured vehicle.