Security, Technology

It is not new that drones shine on the battlefield. However, since 2024, another new type of drone has frequently appeared on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, which is eye-catching – the fiber optic drone. 

In early December, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Omosaki issued a request for information (RFI) to explore countermeasures against first-person view FPV drones controlled via fiber optics. The project is still under development and has been entrusted to the Ministry of radioelectronic Industry to evaluate potential technical solutions.

Both Russia and China are increasingly using fiber-optic drones as one of the key components of their military strategy. These drones are equipped with a unique control system, where they are not controlled by traditional radio frequencies, but by optical fibers that connect the drone to the operator. As a result, fiber-optic guided drones can avoid traditional RF jamming or GPS countermeasures.

This move by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia shows two things: On the one hand, Russia (and Russia) are increasingly using fiber-optic guided drones tactically – there 
is a video on social media showing a Russian fiber-optic FPV drone attacking a 2S1 self-propelled artillery piece of Russia in Kursk. On the other hand, Russia wants to make full use of this technology while finding countermeasures to prevent its opponents from using fiber-optic drones to attack Russia itself.

Fiber optic UAVs significantly increase the range and control stability of micro-UAVs, because it is not limited by the remote control distance of the pilot and the endurance of the onboard power.

First: wireless communications can be disrupted or jammed. Fiber-optic cables act as secure, high-bandwidth connections, transmitting video feeds and control signals in real time without relying on traditional radio signals. Most importantly: it can evade typical anti-drone tactics, especially radio frequency jamming—an advantage that traditional drones that rely on GPS and RF signals cannot match.

Furthermore, foreign media reported that some optical fibers can even provide the drone with a constant power supply, which means that FPV can fly farther without worrying about the battery life .

Therefore, fiber-optic FPV drones are very effective in conducting surveillance or carrying out precision strikes. Conversely, destroying fiber-optic drones is not so easy because fiber links are more difficult to interfere with than ubiquitous RF signals. Cutting or destroying physical optical fibers requires closer range or precise aiming, which is much more difficult in a cluttered battlefield environment. 

Take Skywalker’s fiber-optic drone as an example: using the fiber-optic guided anti-tank missile technology, the FPV is equipped with a fiber-optic winding shaft, and the fiber is connected to the pilot controller. It can be equipped with 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters of optical fiber as needed .

The 5,000-meter-long optical fiber weighs 1.1 kilograms and can resist all types of electronic interference, including smoke/thermal bombs.

The fiber-optic controlled FPV drone test demonstration——

This fiber-optic FPV uses a tablet controller, plus a 2,500 yuan FPV, the total price is about RMB5,500-6,000 yuan . Good quality and low price. 

ZALA, a subsidiary of Russia’s Kalashnikov Group, also unveiled its quadcopter “Product 55,” calling it a ” solution resistant to all forms of radio interference ,” and it is believed that this version of the drone may be a fiber-optic guided drone.

On March 2, 2024, the Ermao military blogger Serhii “Flash” reported a shot-down Damao FPV drone that was carrying a hollow plastic object containing a device of unknown purpose.

Ermao experts then disassembled the drone and found that the object contained optical fiber connected to a commercial optical transceiver, manufactured by a certain country and designed for high-speed communications. The markings on the optical fiber spool contained 10,813 meters of optical fiber . 

What is Da Mao’s countermeasure against fiber-optic drones that are difficult to interfere with radio frequency interference?

The initial idea is to use lasers , which is to use high-power lasers installed on military vehicles or even combat drones to cut optical fibers or directly destroy the drones themselves.

The fiber-optic guided drones that appeared on the battlefields of Russia and Ukraine in 2024 are a useful attempt to deal with anti-drone electronic warfare. They are still being tested and used on a small scale. After all, the blood and fire of modern war is the best school to learn weapon design and the best examination room to test the effectiveness of weapons .