Advanced fibre-optic drones challenge Ukrainian defence
The Russians have mastered using new drones, which pose a significant problem for the Ukrainians. Jammers do not work on them, and the passive armour of vehicles like the M2A2 Bradley from the USA and the Marder 1A3 from Germany is insufficient. We explain the secret behind them.
In Ukraine, both sides use FPV drones as a substitute for modern anti-tank guided missiles. Such a drone has a significant advantage because, thanks to its low speed and control until the very end, it allows the pilot to precisely hit a specific spot on the armour. Below, you can see recordings of Russian FPV drone attacks with fibre optic cables on Ukrainian M2A2 Bradley and Marder 1A3.
Drones with fibre optics — the only defence against them is to shoot them down
FPV drones with attached items such as PG-7VL grenades have become a nightmare for Russian armoured equipment, who have gradually started using them themselves. Ukrainians could destroy even reinforced T-90M tanks with their help, while Russians could disable Leopard 2s.
Over time, however, both sides began to massively use jammers of the control signal, creating a specific bubble of interference around the vehicle with a range of operation from several dozens to hundreds of metres, preventing attack. Since then, periods of powerlessness for drone operators and their regained dominance have appeared if they could adjust the control frequency outside the jamming range.
However, this was a workaround because it was necessary to create drones to operate in such conditions. It turned out there are two paths to the goal: drones supported by artificial intelligence algorithms that allow autonomous flight for the last few hundred metres and drones with deployable fibre optics.
The second method is simple and cost-effective because it has been used for decades in anti-tank-guided missiles. The deployable fibre optic cable ensures seamless transmission of the control and video signal in any condition until impact. For the Russians, for example, this Method allows them to hit a specific spot on a vehicle, bypassing sections of the M2A2 Bradley armoured with BRAT reactive armour bricks.
Moreover, the drone is completely passive and emits no radio signals, so it is undetectable to passive detectors. As a result, the only way to stop such a drone is to detect it using radar or an electro-optical head and shoot it down. Currently, very few vehicles can defend themselves against drones independently, and this is more of a prospect for the tank and future vehicle projects showcased at exhibitions like Eurosatory or MSPO.
Currently, tanks and vehicles with an active defence system conceptually similar to Israel's Rafael Trophy or equipped with an independent anti-drone module like the "Beast from Tarnów" have the greatest chance.
Of course, "cable drones" have drawbacks. The necessity of carrying a spool with deployable fiber optic cable limits their effective range to about 10 kilometres, depending on the components used and the drone's weight limit. Both Ukrainians and Russians use fibre optic drones, and they are becoming increasingly popular due to their simplicity and ease of production.
