At the Air Defence Range in Manorbier, West Wales, the British Army has completed the most extensive trials to date of a Radiofrequency Directed Energy Weapon (RF DEW), dubbed RapidDestroyer—a novel system developed under the UK Ministry of Defence’s Project Ealing. 

During the trials, the RF DEW system successfully tracked, engaged, and neutralised over 100 drones, marking a significant milestone in counter-drone capabilities. One test scenario involved two swarms of drones being neutralised in a single engagement—demonstrating the system’s capacity to handle multiple airborne threats simultaneously.

Mounted on an RMMV HX60 4×4 truck chassis, the RF DEW system represents a shift towards non-kinetic air defence solutions. It emits high-frequency radio waves that physically damage the internal electronics of drones, causing them to malfunction or crash.

Unlike conventional jamming systems that disrupt communication links, this approach delivers a “hard-kill” effect, making it effective even against hardened or electronically resilient targets. With a range of up to one kilometre and a cost of approximately 13 pence per shot, the RF DEW offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional missile-based systems.

Highly automated and operable by a single soldier, the system integrates a surveillance radar for detection and tracking, supported by an optical camera for manual target identification. The Ministry of Defence has confirmed the system’s ability to deliver near-instant responses against multiple threats, underscoring its suitability for modern battlefields increasingly shaped by unmanned aerial systems.

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Developed by ‘Team Hersa’—an industrial consortium led by Thales UK in partnership with QinetiQ, Teledyne e2v, and Horiba Mira—the RF DEW programme has received over £40 million in public investment. 

As drone warfare evolves, notably in the Ukrainian theatre—where drone swarms are reported to have caused up to 80% of combat casualties, and Ukrainian forces have had to counter more than 18,000 drone attacks in the past year—the operational relevance of systems like RapidDestroyer becomes increasingly evident.

While currently land-based, the system’s modular design and ability to integrate into broader air defence networks suggest strong potential for naval and airborne deployment in future iterations.

Power requirements remain a key consideration for deployment in remote or resource-constrained environments, but the system’s high degree of automation and combat effectiveness reinforce its position as a strategic priority within the UK’s evolving defence posture against drone threats.

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