Neutralizing Drone Swarms With Radio Waves

By John Oncea, Editor

The RFDEW is designed to detect, track, and neutralize threats across land, air, and sea with near-instantaneous effects at distances of more than half a mile, costing about 13 cents per shot.

The War in Ukraine has taught us many things, writes the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). For instance, “If one sees the conflict as Ukraine’s ‘war of independence,’ rather than focusing too much on borders, the Ukrainians are already victorious. Putin had denied that Ukraine was a separate nation, but his behavior has only strengthened Ukrainian national identity.”

We also learned old and new weapons complement each other, nuclear deterrence works but it depends on relative stakes more than capabilities, and information warfare can make a difference. “Another lesson, then, is that once a war has begun, kinetic weapons provide greater timeliness, precision, and damage assessment for commanders than cyber weapons do,” ASPI writes. “That said, electromagnetic warfare can still interfere with the linkages that are essential to the use of drones.”

Knowing the critical importance of drone interference, the announcement by the British government that it successfully tested “a game-changing weapon that can take down a swarm of drones using radio waves for less than the cost of a pack of mince pies” comes as welcome news.

It also marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing efforts to enhance future operational capabilities and offers a precise, powerful, and cost-effective means to defeat multiple aerial threats. With the successful test under its belt, British Army air defense personnel are exploring the weapon’s potential in different configurations across a variety of range environments, threat types, and engagement scenarios.

And, in addition to keeping soldiers on the front line safer, it may also save valuable time in treating the wounds of soldiers injured during battle.

Losing The Golden Hour

The golden hour refers to the 60 minutes of care provided – or not provided – immediately after a traumatic injury during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical and surgical treatment will prevent death.

According to the National Library of Medicine, “Rapid handoff to the surgical team within 1 hour of injury may reduce mortality by 66% in U.S. military casualties. In the subgroup of casualties with indications for emergency surgery, rapid handoff with timely surgical intervention may reduce mortality by 60%.”

Admittedly there is disagreement on the validity of the golden hour as it appears to lack a scientific basis and, assuming it is true, there are different critical periods for different types of injuries. But it should go without saying that the odds of survival of an injured soldier in the field who receives no treatment because medics can’t reach him decrease with each passing minute.

This scenario, according to Business Insider, is exactly what is happening in the Ukraine War where receiving treatment can take hours, if not days, leading to lasting injuries, amputations, and deaths due to the constant presence of drones. “Until there's a real concrete answer for drones, it's going to continue to be pretty hectic when it comes to that type of care,” a combat medic with a foreign volunteer unit in Ukraine said.

The medic, known by the call sign Tango, has front-line experience with Chosen Company. He participated in a battle in the village of Pervomaiske in July 2023, where his team suffered significant losses due to Russian indirect fire. Despite sustaining injuries himself, he was able to provide first aid to several wounded soldiers. However, due to the presence of Russian drones, they had to wait for hours before receiving more comprehensive medical care, and unfortunately, two men did not survive.

“Here in Ukraine, we have a golden three days,” said a U.S. Army veteran fighting in Ukraine who goes by the call sign Jackie. He then told the story of a friend who was wounded by shrapnel but couldn't leave his trench near the eastern city of Bakhmut for four days. His wounded leg became infected and had to be cut off.

“We don't have a field medic up there pushing antibiotics through IVs, right under direct fire in a trench,” Jackie said. Adding he “thought the injury would have been an ‘easy fix’ if the friend had received care in the golden hour.”

How Radio Waves Are Downing Drones

The British Army’s Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) was designed was developed by a consortium led by Thales UK, with partners including QinetiQ, Teledyne e2v, and Horiba Mira, and can neutralize drone swarms using radio waves, reports Global Defense News.

RFDEW is capable of neutralizing targets, such as drones, at distances up to more than half a mile with near-instantaneous effects. Each shot costs only 13 cents, making it a cost-effective complement to traditional missile-based defenses.

Unlike laser systems like DragonFire, the RFDEW disrupts or damages drones’ critical electronic components using high-frequency radio waves, immobilizing them, or causing them to crash. Its high automation allows operation by a single person and deployment on mobile platforms like the MAN SV.

The first live trials, conducted in Wales by the Royal Artillery’s Trials and Development Unit and the 7th Air Defence Group, successfully neutralized uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) in varied scenarios. Developed under the Team HERSA program, a collaboration between the U.K. Ministry of Defence, DE&S, and Dstl, the RFDEW represents a major step in enhancing the British Armed Forces’ operational capabilities.

While RFDEWs are effective against drone swarms, they face limitations, such as reduced effectiveness against fiber-optic-controlled drones, anti-jamming systems, or large-scale, high-altitude threats. Despite these challenges, the RFDEW offers a versatile, rapid, and cost-efficient solution for modern defense, addressing the growing security risks posed by drones in both civilian and military contexts.

The British Army’s successful test of a high-energy laser weapon for neutralizing drones is particularly timely given the surge in unknown drone sightings over sensitive sites in both the U.S. and U.K. These incidents have raised concerns about national security, highlighting the need for cost-effective and efficient counter-drone systems. With its ability to track and disable drones at distances over half a mile, this laser system offers a promising defense solution against such threats, providing a potential safeguard against increasingly sophisticated drone incursions.