Fiber optic drone
A fiber optic drone is an uncrewed vehicle, typically an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (usually a first person view (FPV) loitering munition) which uses an optical fiber as its primary guidance and teleoperation link. These drones usually have fiber optic cables between 5 and 20 km long, although prototypes with up to 50 km range have been developed.[1] They are impossible for defence forces to jam and very difficult to detect.[2]
History
[edit]In the early 2000’s, US military research agency DARPA developed an idea for a loitering munition controlled by fiber-optic cable under the Close Combat Lethal Recon program, but it was never fielded.[3]
Fiber optic FPV drones were fielded by Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the spring of 2024 and by Ukraine soon after.[4][5][3]
Both Ukraine and Russia rely on electronic warfare to defeat FPV drones. Jammers are used on trenches and vehicles.[6] Pocket-size jammers for soldiers were also developed.[7] Maximum ranges have increased over time with Russian fiber optic drone hitting areas of Kramatorsk more than 12 miles behind the front lines.[8]
Characteristics
[edit]Advantages
[edit]- Wired guidance makes the link between operators and drones immune to jamming.[9]
- It also allows for much faster and better quality updates from the drone, even from locations where radio contact would be poor, and doesn't reveal operator's or drone's location by radio signals.[10][11]
- They also need less power to communicate, and so can be used to idle on the ground for ambushes.[12]
Disadvantages
[edit]- They have reduced range, payload and maneuverability compared to wireless drones.[13][14]
- Although in practice, range and agility of the wired drones can be even higher than those of the radio-controlled ones, given their increased survivability and reduced control latency.[15]
- The fiber-optic cord can get tangled up.[16]
Countermeasures
[edit]To counter fiber-optic drones, as of 2025, Ukrainian soldiers deploy lines of stretched barbed wire, with a battery-driven motor that makes the barbed wire rotate around its axis. This has the effect of entangling and breaking the thin fiber-optic wire laid on the ground by fiber-optic drones along their flight path.[17]
Environmental concerns
[edit]The long trails of fiber optic cable left behind the drones on the battlefield may be a significant source of plastic pollution because most of the cables are made from synthetic polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) and fluoropolymers.[18][19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Hambling, David (6 June 2025). "Fiber Optic Bird's Nest Heralds A Fiber Drone Summer In Ukraine". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
- ^ "Israel to expand use of fiber-optic guided drones". Globes. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ a b Hambling, David. "Russian Fiber Optic Drone Beats Any Jammer (UPDATE: Ukraine Version)". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ Altman, Howard. "Inside Ukraine's Fiber-Optic Drone War". twz.com. The War Zone. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ^ "How Do Fiber Optic Drones Work? Everything You Need To Know". 2025-01-09. Archived from the original on 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ "Ukrainian EW developer on anti-drone warfare – interview". New Voice of Ukraine. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ Oleksandr Tartachnyi (21 March 2024). "The Invisible War: Inside the electronic warfare arms race that could shape course of war in Ukraine". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ ALTMAN, HOWARD; ROGOWAY, TYLER. "Russian Fiber-Optic Drones Are Now Reaching Into Ukrainian Cities Deep Behind The Lines". twz.com. The War Zone. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
- ^ JOSEPH TREVITHICK; TYLER ROGOWAY (8 March 2024). "Russia Now Looks To Be Using Wire-Guided Kamikaze Drones In Ukraine". TWZ.
- ^ Mittal, Vikram. "Ukraine And Russia Battle To Defeat "Un-jammable" Fiber-Optic Drones". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
- ^ Panella, Chris. "Russia appears to be using wired, unjammable fiber-optic drones that could fix a big problem its operators have faced in this war". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
- ^ Hambling, David. "New Drone Tactics Sealed Russian Victory In Kursk". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
- ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
A spokesperson of a Ukrainian brigade operating in the Zaporizhia Oblast reported on October 29 that Russian forces began using first person view drones with fiber optic wires stretching up to 10 kilometers in length against Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhia direction. The spokesperson added that these drones are reportedly immune to Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) systems and that Ukrainian personnel had to shoot down these drones with small arms. The spokesperson observed that these drones are susceptible to air defense systems, have greatly limited ranges, and are ineffective in dense urban settings.
- ^ Barnes, Joe (2025-01-10). "How Russia created 'unjammable' drone with a retro twist". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
- ^ O'Grady, Siobhán; Khudov, Kostiantyn; Korolchuk, Serhii; Horton, Alex; Burianova, Tetiana; Morgunov, Serhiy; Karklis, Laris (2025-05-23). "Ukraine scrambles to overcome Russia's edge in fiber-optic drones". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "Fibre optic drones: The terrifying new weapon changing the war in Ukraine". BBC. 28 May 2025.
- ^ Yan, Oleksandr. "Russians Discover Ukrainian Solution to Fiber-Optic Drones". Militarnyi. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
- ^ Wang, Sherri; Chang, Rod. "Fiber-Optic drones revolutionize warfare but leave toxic footprint in Ukraine". digitimes.com. DigiTimes. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ^ Moreland, Leon. "Plastic pollution from fibre optic drones may threaten wildlife for years". Conflict and Environmental Observatory. Retrieved 29 May 2025.