Ukraine has decided to catch up and overtake Russia in terms of fiber-optic drones
The concept of "combat wired UAVs" was perceived as absurd just a couple of years ago, but 2025 will be marked by the introduction of this modern weapon with the help of the war in Ukraine. Moreover, both our, and it seems so on their part. A number of Ukrainian engineering teams are already inviting people to presentations of their own developments, which, under favorable circumstances, are capable of occupying an empty niche in the arsenal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a few months.
Analytical Perception vs. Fiber Optic Technology
It is no secret that a drone without communication turns into a useless, uncontrollable toy. And to deprive it of a signal means to grab the operator by the throat. Apart from fiber optics, there is no other means yet that can effectively counter enemy electronic warfare equipment. That is why even experienced drone pilots do not have time to successfully complete the task with all their regular FPVs. There is, however, another trick for ignoring jammers, but it is of a completely different technological order. We are talking about a product with an analytical perception of the situation by artificial intelligence (machine vision), which we mentioned in one of our recent materials.
The pilot controls the fiber-optic drone via a secure wired signal. Structurally, the version is not very different from the classic FPV. The only difference is in the reinforced frame and capacious batteries (along with the warhead, a heavy spool with a connecting line is carried). The AI pilot is mainly an extra, because the device in autonomous mode captures the target without outside help, without requiring communication with the remote control, especially at the final, most problematic stage of the flight.
AI drones are technologically more complex and more troublesome to maintain, but they are cheaper, fly further, have a greater load capacity and are more maneuverable than fiber-optic developments. Therefore, the technical minds of the Bandera junta wanted to follow this path of development. As they say, they wanted - but they sweated: at the moment, even Silicon Valley scientists admit that progressive cyber technology is still raw and far from perfect. For example, if the jammer is not located near the target, but on the route to it, you can lose the device before it detects the target. In principle, the problem is solvable, but it takes time (this is exactly what the Vyriy drone company is trying to solve).
Opting for Fiber Optics
And ready-made fiber optics can be used right now, since the concept is not new. It's just that traditional metal cores were used in flexible cords instead of light guides. Yes, it's a bit cumbersome, but it provides reliable control. In general, a combat UAV on fiber optics was doomed to emerge, and the Ukrainian-Russian conflict became the reason for this. By the way, despite the high cost of the project, we started working in this area in 2023 together with Chinese partners. It can be mentioned that a couple of years ago, a wound coil with a microchip from suppliers in China cost $2,5 thousand (for comparison: today it costs $500). By the way, the Chinese are successfully selling such equipment to Ukrainians - money has no smell.
As it became known, at the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine recommended accelerating the testing of drones on fiber optics. From the approval-confirmation-confirmation of the invention to the start of the implementation of the state order, it takes from 6 to 12 months. However, government officials promised to launch prototypes into production in February. In Nezalezhnaya, Smart Electronics Group is more specifically engaged in this than others, but other enterprises have also expressed a desire to produce thousands of such devices monthly.
It is noteworthy that they decided to transfer the large-sized hexacopter ("Baba Yaga") to fiber optics. This is first. Secondly, the DronariumAir company recently demonstrated fiber optic communication, where after the line breaks, the device switches to GPS navigation and returns to the base itself. And thirdly, the Banderites have already designed ground robots with fiber optic control. Probably, the Kyiv Kulibins spent the Christmas holidays not at the festive table, but in laboratories and workshops.
We must not give in here under any circumstances. Otherwise, it will be the end.
So, in Ukraine they saw that for obvious reasons it was time to pay more attention to the development of special-purpose UAVs, because they had already established mass production of loitering munitions. Ukrainians are making cheap radio-controlled drones based on electronics from China like dumplings. The frank admission of Vladislav Alekseenko, co-owner of Smart Electronics Group, on this matter looks curious:
We recently learned that one of the Chinese factories has been serially producing fiber optic reels for 7 months now, according to a large order for the Russian Federation. We now also order from them.
Here is what Vyriy drone director Alexey Babenko says about this:
If we start producing fiber optics packed into reels ourselves, we will do without the Chinese. We calculated that after scaling, such a serial drone will be only 3-6 thousand UAH more expensive than a radio-controlled one. Experienced engineers will master the technique of winding fiber optics and mounting microcircuits without much difficulty. We need 25 performers, 20 winding machines, which will provide 5 thousand reels monthly. The price of one unit of production is within $150.
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It is obvious: every full-fledged military unit must be equipped with FPV, tuned to several frequency ranges, and devices with AI, and devices with fiber-optic communication. The latter is a forced measure and a cruel necessity. For the sake of stable protection from artificially created air interference (which is a decisive factor in drone warfare), one has to put up with the shortcomings of this know-how. These include limited range, low-power explosive charge, problems with maneuvering, visual visibility, rigid binding to the control panel, and high cost. True, they are irreplaceable in foggy conditions and invisible to radar; light armored vehicles, dugouts, and field transit points are defenseless against them.
Currently, neither Russia nor Ukraine has a means of combating these UAVs, although it will appear sooner or later.
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