Russia appears to be using wired, unjammable fiber-optic drones that could fix a big problem its operators have faced in this war

The appeal of using fiber optics to guide unmanned aerial vehicles is directly related to the problems they purportedly solve; with the widespread use of electronic warfare and radio signal jamming on the battlefield, the need to maintain a stable connection with the operator is key to ensuring the drone reaches its target.

As the FPV drone soars away from its launcher, it deploys a fiber-optic cable.

The advantage, Samuel Bennett, an expert in drones and Russian military weapons development, explained, is that the fiber-optic wire preserves a stable connection, making a drone impervious to electronic warfare, such as the radio jammers found on many of Ukraine and Russia’s military vehicles. The result is a high-quality video transmission and resistance to EW.

Such an adaptation could potentially have profound effects, but it wouldn’t come without issues. It remains unclear how or if fiber-optic drones would reach mass production, although some foreign companies have been hard at work on drones with fiber-optic cable reels.

The biggest problem is likely how the cable would potentially prohibit the drone’s mobility, possibly restricting their use to certain types of missions and locations to prevent collisions or the wire getting tangled or broken.

Likewise, the range from the target to the operator would need to be considered, as the wire limits how far the drone can fly.

That said, fiber-optic drones could be useful in specific situations, such as in environments with intense radio jamming, and may complement the use of radio-dependent unmanned systems.

Regardless, the introduction of this new technology represents yet another shift in how Russia and Ukraine are developing and employing drones on the battlefield. Both sides have been engaged in a drone arms race, adapting their unmanned systems to respond to various problems and copying changes made by the enemy in order to gain an edge or at least maintain parity.