UK’s New Microwave Weapon Could Be Used in the Ukraine War
The UK Ministry of Defence has successfully tested a new high-powered microwave weapon, the “RapidDestroyer,” capable of disabling drone swarms using bursts of radio frequency energy, The Gaze reports, citing Financial Times. The system could provide a vital boost to modern warfare defences, including on the front lines in Ukraine.
In a series of recent field trials, the RapidDestroyer took down two swarms of eight drones and reportedly tracked and disabled over 100 drones in total. Mounted on a flatbed truck, the weapon emits a wide beam of energy that disables electronics on contact, offering a cost-effective way to counter multiple threats at once.
The UK’s announcement comes as drone warfare increasingly defines modern combat. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, unmanned aerial vehicles have been used extensively for surveillance and strike missions. Ukrainian MP Roman Kostenko estimates that drones are involved in up to 80% of combat casualties in the ongoing conflict.
Current countermeasures struggle to address the challenge of cheap, numerous drones, often engaging one target at a time at high operational costs. In contrast, microwave weapons like the RapidDestroyer or its U.S. counterpart, THOR, offer broader and more affordable protection, especially against swarms. However, their wide-area effect means they’re better suited for open battlefields than for defending civilian infrastructure.
Experts warn that adversaries could adapt by hardening drone circuits or shielding them with special materials, underscoring the ongoing technological arms race in electronic warfare. Still, the RapidDestroyer represents a major step in evolving drone defence, one with clear implications for the conflict in Ukraine.
The U.S. and UK are continuing to explore high-power microwave applications, with the US Navy’s Project Meteor scheduled for testing in 2026, aimed at intercepting anti-ship ballistic missiles.
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