The UK has successfully tested a new type of electronic warfare designed to combat drones. This technology could potentially be used in modern combat, including in Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.
The UK announced in 2024 that the DragonFire laser weapon, capable of destroying drones, would be operational on Royal Navy warships by 2027. A year after DragonFire’s debut, the Tryzub (Trident) laser system appeared in Ukraine. Now, with the UK’s ongoing push into both laser and microwave weapons, questions are mounting about whether these new British systems, especially as they move from prototype to operational status, might eventually be developed in Ukraine to bolster its air and drone defenses.
The RapidDestroyer system is developed by a defense consortium led by the French corporation Thales. The new modification uses powerful radio frequencies to remotely disable the electronics of drones.
This type of weapon emits a broad energy beam capable of disabling multiple drones simultaneously, making it an effective countermeasure against “drone swarms.” However, this technology may be less effective for protecting infrastructure.
The technology is still in its early stages. The RapidDestroyer system is transported in a truck bed and requires a significant amount of energy.
“High-powered microwave systems are potentially a very effective tool for defence against large numbers of (drones) and potentially cruise missiles as well, in circumstances where their wide cone of effect does not create more problems than it solves,” says Justin Bronk of the Royal United Service Institute in London.
He notes that such systems can perform well in conditions like a desert, on military ships at sea, or on the front lines “where you’re not hugely concerned about stuff that’s going in the direction of the enemy,” but he stressed that microwave weapons cannot be a called an universal solution.
During tests in the UK, two “swarms” of eight drones were neutralized, and over 100 drones were destroyed in total.
