New drone-killing technology designed and built in the UK will see a swarm of robotic planes blast out of the sky for just 10p per shot.
The revolutionary weapon, revealed by the Ministry of Defense at midnight, will be used by the UK military to disable enemy electronics and destroy multiple drones at once.
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The technology is currently under development and is expected to be used by the UK armed forces in the coming years, providing the UK with a “decisive operational advantage”.
It will radiate radio waves to disrupt or damage threats on land, air and sea up to 1 km away – although future development is expected to increase their range.
An example of a radio frequency directed energy weapon (RFDEW), the system will be able to detect, track and attack enemy vehicles, causing them to stop or fall out of the way. sky.
The RFDEW beam will be capable of shooting down “dangerous swarms of drones with instantaneous effect,” according to the Ministry of Defense, at an economical price of 10 cents per shot fired.
Multiple threats can be attacked at the same time within the same beam, or a rapid burst of sequenced shots can hit individual targets.
The technology will be able to be mounted on a variety of different military vehicles and will use a mobile device power source to produce pulses of radio frequency energy.
The RFDEW system is a cheaper alternative to traditional missile-based air defense systems and can be operated by a single person.
The British “DragonFire” weapon is more expensive, costing £10p a shot, but is expected to be ready for deployment in 2027 at the latest.
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps suggested last month that the weapon could end up in Ukraine’s hands even sooner, before they are “100 percent perfect”, with British soldiers ready to test the weapon within weeks.
DragonFire uses an intense beam of light to cut through your target and can attack at the speed of light.
It is designed to shoot down attack drones, missiles, planes and even satellites with its 50kW beam – and can hit any visible target as small as a £1 coin.
The inauguration of the RFDEW system this evening comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced an increase in the UK’s defense budget to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030.
Defense experts hope the new technology will work to protect and defend the UK’s critical assets and bases.
Defense Procurement Minister James Cartlidge said: “We are already a force to be reckoned with in science and technology, and developments like RFDEW not only make our people more lethal and better protected in the battle fieldbut also maintain the UK as a world leader in innovative military kit.
“The war in Ukraine showed us the importance of deploying unmanned systems, but we must also be able to defend ourselves against them.
“As we increase our defense spending in the coming years, our Defense Drone Strategy will ensure we are at the forefront of this warfighting evolution.”
The new technology – which will be field tested by soldiers over the summer – is being developed by a joint team from the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Defense Equipment and Support (DE&S).
Both organizations are working with UK industry under Project Hersa.
Dstl CEO Paul Hollinshead said: “These revolutionary systems will provide a decisive operational advantage to the UK armed forces, saving lives and defeating deadly threats.
“World-class capabilities like this are only possible because of decades of research, experience and investment in science and technology at Dstl and our UK industry partners.”
DRAGON FIRE
Soldiers are also expected to test DragonFire laser weapons and a new type of radar beam weapon.
Lasers can heat their targets to more than 3,000 degrees Celsius in an instant, while radio weapons work by firing a pulse of energy that fries electrical circuits – causing drones to fall from the sky.
Both systems were developed at the government’s top-secret laboratory, Porton Down, in Wiltshire, and were due to be tested by troops from the 7th Air Defense Group, based at Thorney Island, Hants.
Matt Cork, head of Porton Down’s directed energy weapons demonstration programme, said the radio weapon could destroy “a room full of computers or a telephone exchange”.
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It does this by firing an electromagnetic pulse that overloads its target’s electrical system.
He added: “Anything that has electricity flowing, you can stop it.”
A version of the radio weapon will be mounted on a military truck and tested this summer, before the laser weapon is tested by the Royal Artillery in the autumn.
The laser weapon, known as DragonFire, was once fired from a Royal Navy warship.
The MoD said DragonFire would be installed on Royal Navy warships by 2027 at the latest – five years ahead of schedule.
Sol understands that the lasers will likely be installed on frigates.
Incredible declassified footage released by the Ministry of Defense in March showed the formidable weapon being used to hit targets in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.
The video demonstrated the laser’s impressive ability to lock onto a target and destroy it with a powerful beam fired into the sky.
The UK’s new radio frequency direct energy weapons system
BY Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defense
When Putin’s men killed Dawn Sturgess in Salisbury with Novichok poison, the Kremlin’s cronies pointed the finger at this laboratory.
The Russian tyrant was once again trying to cover up his relentless violence with fake news.
But we know the truth.
Putin is a threat to us all and must be stopped.
To protect our prosperity, values and freedom, we must be prepared for war now and in the future.
Technology is transforming warfare faster than ever, and for our Armed Forces to remain fighting fit, they must have the latest and greatest equipment.
When I visited the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down last month, I saw cutting-edge weapons being developed.
They will give us a lethal advantage on the modern battlefield.
The Dragonfire laser is expected to be installed on Royal Navy ships in 2027, five years earlier than planned.
We are working hard to have our new Radio Frequency Direct Energy Weapon (RFDEW) system in service within the next few years.
Dragonfire can destroy flying threats at the speed of light, while RFDEW uses electromagnetic energy to disrupt or shoot down drones and other electronic military systems.
Dragonfire costs just £10 per dose. An RFDEW dose costs just 10 cents!
We also have military scientists testing the use of AI to analyze images and identify camouflaged targets and exploring the use of unmanned surveillance aircraft in the stratosphere.
To produce this highly advanced kit of tomorrow, the government is investing in innovation and partnering with British industry.
We have put UK industry on a war footing with our plan to spend 2.5% of GDP on defense by 2030.
A further £75 billion will be spent over the next six years.
This is the biggest defense boost in a generation and we have put high-tech innovation at the heart of our plans.
To support programs like DragonFire and RFDEW, and ensure our Armed Forces have the kit they need and deserve, we will spend at least 5% of the defense budget on research and development.
Companies across the country are preparing to ramp up production.
I saw this recently in Telford where the Challenger 3 tank is almost complete.
This tank is one of the most lethal in the world and the first all-British built in over 20 years.
The UK defense industry supports around 200,000 jobs and the measures we take will help grow the economy and will be felt in communities across the country.
Through our growing defense budget and our focus on innovation, the UK is standing up to our enemies and showing our allies what we all need to do to be safer in a more dangerous world.
And it is our scientists at Porton Down and the engineers in British industry who remain our secret weapon.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
