HMS Duncan of the UK Royal Navy successfully countered multiple aerial and surface drone threats during a demanding live and synthetic exercise designed to push the destroyer’s detection and response capabilities to their limits. Conducted off MOD Aberporth in coordination with Fleet Operational Standards and Training and led by QinetiQ, the multi-domain scenario combined live drone targets, synthetic threats, and uncrewed surface vehicles to replicate a modern swarm-style attack. Developed by Inzpire, a QinetiQ-owned training specialist, the exercise exposed the crew to complex threat combinations, including UAV-like aerial targets, simulated cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles, and hostile aircraft. Over the course of the drill, HMS Duncan tracked and neutralized five aerial threats and destroyed two Hammerhead uncrewed surface vehicles, demonstrating integrated air and surface defence capabilities.
Parallel to such exercises, the UK has intensified efforts to counter swarming and high-speed drones. In early 2026, the Ministry of Defence announced trials of high-speed drone interceptors capable of engaging small UAVs operating beyond the tracking limits of many short-range air defence systems, addressing gaps in layered counter-drone frameworks. Alongside kinetic solutions, the UK is advancing directed energy technologies. In April 2025, it confirmed progress on a high-power microwave-based drone weapon prototype aimed at disabling hostile unmanned systems at range, signalling a shift toward non-kinetic counter-swarm approaches. Earlier, in December 2024, the British Army tested a radiowave system designed to jam and disrupt drone command-and-control links, offering a projectile-free method of neutralizing aerial threats.
