British military tested a new EMP weapon.

"RFDEW demonstrator on truck." (Gov.Uk, Press release)

British soldiers successfully test drone killer radiowave weapon for first time

The new radio-wave-based drone defense is interesting. Radiowaves don't harm living organisms or cause symptoms, which allows the creation of new electromagnetic pulse-based systems that are safe for users. 

The radio-wave-based EMP weapons can used against drones, battlefield robots, and wearable electronics. 

Those systems can also target things like data centers and other electronic components. 

That makes this kind of system dangerous for the data networks. 

GSM-base stations are good targets for those EMP weapons. 

Unlike microwave weapons, which cause injuries to targets, EMP or radio-wave-based electromagnetic weapons can harm only electronics. Some of those systems' bases are impulse capacitors, which can give a very strong electric burst. The radio system transforms that electricity into the radio waves. The system can probably create strong, long-term radio impulses that can destroy the electric components. 

Crossing radio waves can create powerful electric arcs that can cause damage or even destroy things like fast-flying aircraft and drones. 

Those systems can cause damage to ammunition storage and fuel stations. If radio waves with opposite polarity cross on the point where ammunition is that can detonate the gunpowder. 

(https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-soldiers-successfully-test-drone-killer-radiowave-weapon-for-first-time)

Electromagnetic impulses can be used to destroy also other electronics than just drones. Those systems can terminate enemy radios and damage electronics in missiles. And that makes those systems ideal for the battlefield. The high-power radio waves can also jump from the ionosphere. And they can destroy electronics far beyond the horizon. The crossing of radio-maser waves can cause damage to structures if their transmitting power is high enough. 

Electromagnetic and especially radio-wave-based systems can benefit the radars as their platforms. When radar sees some threat the system increases its power. High-power radars with a megawatt-class transmitting power can destroy satellites from their orbital. That EMP-based system leaves the satellite in one piece. That denies space debris formation. 

The EMP weapons can also terminate the suspected fractional orbital bombardment systems (FOBS) or orbital-based nuclear weapons. Those systems can deny the explosion of EMP nuclear weapons and they can also deny the work of the normal nuclear weapons if they can damage their electronics. 

In some visions, the power satellites transmit energy to Earin as coherent radio waves. Those power satellites can also destroy electronics from the aerial and other targets. The orbital-based power satellites can create megawatt-class energy transmission. Those power satellites can also use their energy transmitters against other satellites. That kind of system can also guard the borders. 

 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-soldiers-successfully-test-drone-killer-radiowave-weapon-for-first-time

https://aiandthefuture.wordpress.com/2025/01/04/british-military-tested-a-new-emp-weapon/

Why are X-37B and “Global Hawk” drones built?

X-37B
(Picture 1)

Kimmo Huosionmaa

X-37B represents new kind of thinking about military devices. Its mission is to fix the problems of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The main problem of those extremely powerful weapons is actually that when they would be launched, the strike cannot be delayed, even if the opponent wants to talk. This is the problem with all nuclear devices. When the strike has begun, nothing could stop those weapons.


Sometimes I have asked, why the cruise missiles would not have wheels, that they could be returned to the base if the strike would be unnecessary. Wheels under the belly of cruise missile would allow using this weapon by any road in the world. This makes those weapons extremely dangerous, because those weapons don’t need any launchers, and they could deliver from any truck in the world.


They can also store in any warehouse in the world. Cruise missiles are actually one type of drones, and that equipment can be connected together. Same drones can be used as the normal duties of strike and reconnaissance. But in the global crises, they can also equip with nuclear warheads. That kind of drones can also use DEW (Directed Energy Weapons) to shut down enemy satellites or destroying airplanes. Those microwave and laser weapons are similar, what is used in metal industry. They would get their power from the solar panels, or if the drone flies lower it can use windmill turbogenerators to create necessary electric power.  Those weapons simply cut off the satellites solar panels or wings from other aircraft or they might melt the body of the aircraft.

RQ-4 "Global Hawk"
(Picture II)

Space drones like X-37B might be also working as a cruise missile. I have sometimes earlier wrote about this thing, but that equipment can be launched to the orbital, and it can wait in there the order to begin the attack. But when we are thinking about extreme high altitude flying drones like “Global Hawk, could those drones attack any target on the world by using GPS-guided bombs. Those weapons are very sharp, even they would drop from 20 kilometers above the target. They also might carry laser weapons, what can use against the targets, what are below this vehicle. The laser itself is laying inside the drone, and the ray would be pointed to the target by using turning mirror.


This kind of drones can carry smart weapons in internal bomb bays. But they also can equip with nuclear weapons. Nuclear bombs can also use GPS-guidance for precision targeting. Modern warfare is quite different than ever before. Drones and manned bombers can operate together, and also B-52 size bombers can be hybrid. They might have the capacity to operate as UCAV- drones or manned bombers. And they can drop the more dangerous equipment, what human ever could imagine.



In those bombs might have the robots, what might look like snakes, rats or mice. The artificial mice are actually the devices, what mission is to slip in the ammunition and fuel warehouses and they might be equipped with explosives. But those mice can also have the microwave- or laser devices, what they can use for warming grenades. Those electromagnetic weapons allow for avoiding the explosive detectors.


That makes those DEW (Directed Energy Weapons) so dangerous. If somebody would slip the microwave device with battery inside some airplane,  the results could be devastating. That magnetron might warm the structure of the airplane to very high temperature. And the problem is that this device is unseen by the bomb detectors. Also, the firepower of those weapons could not be limited, what makes possible the scenario, that some operator forgets that weapon in use, and that could cause the very dangerous situation if the microwave would be targeted to civil aircraft or other infrastructure.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_RQ-4_Global_Hawk

Picture 1

https://img.newatlas.com/x-37b-lands.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&ch=Width%2CDPR&crop=entropy&fit=crop&h=347&q=60&w=616&s=020c3dbd714e3805e49ab685f92b68d2

Picture 2

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Global_Hawk_1.jpg/1200px-Global_Hawk_1.jpg