As Russian forces have intensified their advances in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, they are aided by a new battlefield tool: drones that fly using fiber-optic cables.
“The use of fiber optic FPV drones undoubtedly creates new challenges on the battlefield,” said a border guard from the Pomsta brigade who goes by the nickname “Phoenix”.
Unlike standard FPV (first-person view) drones – the term used for drones controlled by a video feed transmitted wirelessly to the pilot’s headset, mobile device or other displays – the use of fiber optic cables allows drones to operate without radio signals. This makes them less vulnerable to electronic jamming because they remain directly connected to their operators through thin spools of fiber-optic cable lasting up to 15 kilometers and resembling fishing line.
A Russian fiber optic drone in action
As Ukrainian forces face declining Western weapons support and Russia’s advantage in manpower, modified drones represent a change in tactics on Ukraine’s battlefield . kyiv and Moscow are intensifying fighting as they enter a pivotal phase of the war, before US President-elect Donald Trump – who has promised to quickly end the war – takes office on January 20.
The new drones have reportedly been in use since the summer, but Ukrainian soldiers stationed across the country tell RFE/RL they are becoming a vital part of Moscow’s battlefield strategy as it seeks to seize more territory in eastern Ukraine.
Many have said that in addition to being used for reconnaissance, they are increasingly being used by Russian troops as self-destruct drones with a small payload attached to target Ukrainian positions and vehicles.
“It is a very dangerous weapon. It’s like a brick with a propeller flying towards you, and there’s not much you can do,” said “Varan,” an officer with the 148th Artillery Brigade.
Faced with changing tactics, soldiers say they have been forced to adapt quickly, with mixed results.
Kostyantyn, battalion commander of the National Guard’s Bureviy Brigade, explains that the ineffectiveness of electronic jamming against the new drones allows them to penetrate further into Ukrainian lines and fly or hit targets more accurately than traditional FPV drones.
“This allows them to see our positions better, strike more accurately and fly longer distances. This makes the situation a little more complicated,” he said.
These complications led Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s main intelligence agency, to call the new drones a “huge problem for us” in a Dec. 31 broadcast by Ukrainian media.
On January 8, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that Russia was increasingly deploying fiber-optic drones as part of its current offensive and said the drones had carried out a series of new strikes along the front lines.
Members of a Ukrainian anti-drone unit search for Russian drones near Avdiyivka.
Shvayka, a drone pilot and section commander stationed near Soledar in eastern Ukraine, says long fiber optic cables can make drones harder to detect. While soldiers can often remotely spot the antennas used to pilot standard FPV drones and knock them out of harm’s way, Russian drones only have a long, thin line powered by an easy-to-hide coil.
“There is only a small box where the fiber optic cable of the drone itself is placed, and it is very easy to miss it because it is the size of a pack of cigarettes,” he said. he declared.
Another advantage is that they are less likely to lose signal than standard FPV drones and can track targets more easily.
“If the pilot is professionally trained, the use of a fiber optic drone allows him to fly very low, even grazing the ground in vegetation, without losing the video signal,” said “Lyutiy”, the commander of an FPV unit within the Third Separate Assault Brigade of Ukraine. This allows them to carry out reconnaissance and hit otherwise inaccessible targets [mieux] than with an ordinary drone.” (…)
The view from a Russian fiber optic drone
Given these obstacles, soldiers say the easiest way to eliminate tethered drones is to fire small arms. Others say they deployed large nets, even fishing nets, to eliminate them. Cables can be cut manually at , but this risks exposing soldiers to fire.
But in a war where every advance can prove crucial, new drones are having an impact on the battlefield.
Russia is reportedly ramping up production of fiber-optic drones and Ukraine is also looking to develop its own versions, including a model presented by Ukraine’s defense ministry earlier this month.
“At the moment we are still in the testing phase,” Lyutiy said. “We all see these flashy advertisements with promises, but in practice we are only beginning to develop in this direction.”
Reprinted with permission from RFE/RL Copyright(c)2007 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.1201 Connecticut Ave, t N.W. Washington DC 20
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