• The UK said it has live-fired its new anti-drone radio weapon that costs only about 10 pence to fire.
• It's been heralding such weapons as a cheap alternative to missile-based systems for killing drones.
• This weapon, the RFDEW, is said to kill drones from 1,000 meters away in land, air, and sea environments.

The UK Defense Ministry said on Monday that it's successfully live-tested its new radio frequency weapon that can take down drone swarms for "less than the cost of a pack of mince pies."

"A live firing trial was recently completed by the Army's Royal Artillery Trials and Development Unit and 7 Air Defence Group at a range in West Wales," it said in a statement. "Where they successfully targeted and engaged Uncrewed Aerial Systems, in a first for the British Armed Forces."

The system is called the Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon, or RFDEW. The UK says it has a range of up to 1,000 meters, or about 1,093 yards, at an estimated cost of 10 pence, or about $0.13, per shot.

The RFDEW uses high-frequency radio waves to detect, track, and then disable critical electronic components in the drones so that they become immobilized or fall out of the sky.

It's meant to be versatile. The UK says the RFDEW can be deployed in land, air, and sea environments.

Development of the weapon was announced in May, when officials described it as a cheaper alternative to traditional missile-based systems for fighting drones. The defense ministry said at the time that tests would be carried out over the summer.

The UK said the RFDEW is mostly automated, meaning it can be operated by a single person and mounted onto a military vehicle.

It's one of London's answers to the growing prominence of drone warfare, brought to the fore by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where cheap drones have become a primary killing tool in the protracted conflict.

The UK is also developing a vehicle-mounted laser beam weapon that fires shots costing 10 pence each, which it said has a range of 1,000 meters as well.

That weapon was successfully tested too, the ministry said on December 11.

Both systems were developed under a government program that partners with private firms such as Raytheon and Teledyne e2v.

The UK also spent about $126 million developing DragonFire, another laser weapon system that uses high-concentrated energy beams to kill drones at less than $13 a shot.

If these systems can be deployed at scale, their advertised low per-shot cost could be a major advantage for the UK. Traditional anti-drone tech that's already considered to be in the lower-cost range, such as the expendable Raytheon Coyote, can be priced at about $100,000 per munition.

Militaries want to go far cheaper, amid a heightened awareness that any armed force — from Russian and Ukrainian troops to Yemeni rebels — can deliver deadly payloads at less than $1,000 through commercial drone parts.

The US is developing a weapon similar to the RFDEW that uses microwaves to fry drone parts and disable swarms. It looks like a container with a satellite dish and is called the Tactical High-power Operational Responder, or THOR.

In April 2023, the US Air Force said it had successfully tested THOR against a drone swarm.

Such technologies are also becoming more mainstream in Ukraine. Kvertus, a company based in Kyiv, sells a handheld "anti-drone gun" that it says can knock out drones with radio frequencies.

Green Bay Packers fans could have gotten a jump start on wrapping Christmas gifts for their loved ones as their team dominated the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, 34-0.

The Saints’ defense had no answer for Packers running back Josh Jacobs and as they inched closer to the red zone on each drive, they still came away with no points. The struggles coupled together turned into a demoralizing late-season loss for a season that was already finished.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The Packers looked good early and often on their way to clinching a playoff spot.

Jacobs’ rushing attack helped get Green Bay on the board on its first drive. It ended with a Jordan Love 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks. Then, Jacobs was rewarded with a touchdown of his own on the team’s second drive of the game.

Before anyone knew it, Green Bay was up 21-0 and the halftime whistle sounded. Aside from a two second-half field goals, it was all the Packers needed to win the game and improve to 11-4.

Love was 16-of-28 with 182 passing yards and a touchdown pass.

Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks each had a rushing touchdown. Jacobs led everyone with 68 rushing yards. Jayden Reed had three catches for 76 yards. Wicks had three catches for 13 yards.

RAIDERS' ANTONIO PIERCE SLAMS CRITICS WHO WANTED TEAM TO LOSE VS JAGUARS, IMPROVE DRAFT POSITION

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler finished 15-of-30 with 153 passing yards and an interception. He led the team with 28 rushing yards. He was sacked three times. New Orleans only ran the ball 20 times.

Jordan Mims had five catches, leading the team, but only had 16 yards. No other player had more than two catches. Foster Moreau had 33 receiving yards to lead the team.

It’s been a really competitive NFC North. The Packers have one of the best records in football but find themselves in third place in the division because the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings are both 13-2. Both teams have also wrapped up playoff spots.

Green Bay has one more win than the Washington Commanders, which give them the No. 6 seed in the playoffs if the regular season ended Monday night. The Packers clinched a playoff spot.

The Saints have suffered through a coaching change and a plethora of injuries to most of their key players. If they had been a little luckier, they could have been in the NFC South division race with the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For now, the Falcons still hold the key to the playoff berth.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.