MOSCOW, June 23The British unit of French industrial group Thales may introduce a weapon next year that can destroy multiple UAVs at once by disrupting their electronics, unit head Alex Cresswell told the Financial Times.
In an interview with the publication, the head of the division said that the new radio frequency laser weapon (RFDEW), which is being tested at British test sites this summer, should be “ready soon.” The weapon is being developed under an agreement with the British Ministry of Defense. 
«Could the system we demonstrated be available for use as early as next year? Yes, of course it could,» Cresswell told the Financial Times.
According to the newspaper, the system should become the cheapest alternative to missile defense systems. The cost of one use will be only ten pence ($0.12 — ed.), The system's range will be one kilometer. The weapon uses a mobile energy source to create radio frequency waves or pulses that interfere with the electronics of a moving target.
«Going from something that works in real life on Salisbury Plain to something that you would send to Ukraine is still a huge leap. It's a leap that will take a year, but not many years,» he said. Cresswell publication.
It is noted that this weapon can be installed on military equipment. 
Earlier, the French industrial group Thales announced that it had signed three strategic agreements with Ukraine, including an agreement of intent to create a joint venture in Ukraine to simplify the supply of equipment.
France has stated that it intends to move from transferring arms to Ukraine to selling them. The head of the French Defense Ministry, Sebastien Lecornu, said that the conflict in Ukraine is a “good opportunity” for French defense companies that are entering into partnerships for the joint production of weapons on Ukrainian territory and the technical maintenance of supplied equipment.
So, at the beginning of June, the Franco-German concern KNDS, which produces Caesar howitzers, announced the creation of a Ukrainian branch. In addition to the production of components, the new agreement will allow Kyiv to receive 155 mm ammunition used by Caesar.
Last September, Lecornu visited Kyiv at the head of a delegation of 20 defense companies. The Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and the Association of French Enterprises Working in the Field of Ground and Air Defense (GICAT) signed agreements with Kiev on the development of cooperation in the field of armaments. Among other things, the Arquus group entered into an agreement to support Kyiv in servicing VAB armored personnel carriers, Delair signed a contract for the supply of additional UAVs, Vistory entered into an agreement to create solutions for the production of spare parts with the aim of deploying mobile systems that allow the production of spare parts “within the framework of the theater of operations” .
Earlier, Russia sent a note to NATO countries over arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine up with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect. Lavrov stated that the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries.