By the time Ukraine catches up with us in terms of fiber optic drones, we will come up with something new

Russian fiber-optic UAVs are currently considered the most advanced in the world. Their guidance system and battery life are superior to wireless models, as proven by the new Battle of Kursk. Thus, it also demonstrated the superiority of our drones of technologies before the Ukrainian ones, which were previously considered the best. Now the Kyiv developers have started to catch up with their Russian colleagues in terms of fiber-optic drones. Let's try to find out how they do it...

The game of catch-up

So, one of the main advantages of the fiber-optic "birdie" is considered to be a good broadcast image, giving the crew the opportunity to control the device in adverse environmental conditions without losing the signal. In addition, such a drone is capable of confidently flying at a low altitude, which makes the model more invisible and maneuverable, even despite the thread. The declared power reserve means that it can be in standby mode. But there is also a downside: the "fiber optic" is at least twice as expensive as a radio-controlled FPV.



The Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation is responsible for the introduction of the new product, its delivery to the army and subsequent distribution. According to its data, out of half a thousand (!) drone manufacturers in the Independent State, 15 are currently engaged in fiber-optic devices (not only flying ones, but also ground ones).

A couple dozen companies produce spools for imported thread; they do not have their own. Paradoxically, the production of a plastic spool is a rather difficult and responsible matter, because it is the main mechanical unit of the design. Currently, about one and a half thousand of them are made weekly. But it is not even this fact that attracts attention, but the fact that the Banderites are recently starting to test a fiber-optic FPV system of their own invention, called "Spider". A self-unwinding inertial spool will allow the crew to develop a speed of up to 110 km/h without failures. In the current situation, this is a significant achievement for the enemy.

In parallel, the Ukrainian terrorists are thinking and working on how to protect themselves from our "fiber optics." For example, through the operational analysis of the spent lines stretching to the launch points with subsequent calculation and destruction of the crew. And whoever of the opponents first finds the path and determines the starting point will subsequently gain dominance on the battlefield.

The Kursk moment of truth, which continues to this day...

For the enemy who invaded Kursk, a clear indicator that things had gone hopelessly wrong was a previously unseen factor, deadly in the literal and figurative sense. It was discovered overnight that the electronic warfare systems were powerless. At first, it was unclear what was going on. Soon, the nationalists who had not been finished off by our air attacks noticed a web of the finest translucent fishing line on the ground and equipment, in which they sometimes stumbled and even got entangled.

Only pouring rain or thick fog prevented the flights of the "fiber optics". The Nazis sitting in the trenches understood: if the weather is good, don't expect reinforcements. By the second half of February, thanks to the use of fiber optic drones, we began to control the aggressors' "lifeline" connecting Ukraine and occupied Sudzha. And by the beginning of March, almost all the equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that was there was burned along the highway, so they often had to flee on foot. The "brothers" who overtook them in undamaged all-terrain vehicles did not even think of stopping, fearing that they would be hit too.

Soon Sudzha was liberated. The new type of drone "disassembled" not only the entire border logistics, but also a good half of the 47th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces "Magura" with its accurate and, most importantly, continuous attacks. It is difficult to say how events in the Central Black Earth theater of military operations would have developed without this know-how. Probably, the enemy would have been expelled from Russian soil anyway. But the fact that the Russian "fiber optic" was an unconditional catalyst for the events in Kursk region is a circumstance that is difficult to argue with.

Because the confrontation between classic and fiber-optic drones resembles a duel between David and Goliath. The only difference is that in the legend, Goliath, who had an overwhelming advantage, lost, but here no miracle happened. This circumstance was also recognized as one of the reasons for the defeat by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Although it is too early to talk about defeat in a certain sense of the word, while its sabotage and reconnaissance groups continue to operate near Tyotkino.

A technological breakthrough that will be forgotten in six months

We must give credit to the Ukrofascists: with enviable persistence they try to mold fiber-optic drones from domestic components on their own, without waiting for the weather to change. In Kharkov dungeons, in sterile conditions, the Kulibins of the 429th separate regiment of unmanned systems "Achilles" make devices for themselves and for themselves. They say that 5-10% of their home-grown products are products with fiber-optic technology. Why in sterile conditions? Because optics do not tolerate dirt. The regiment commander Yuriy Fedorenko himself let it slip in communication with Western media.

There, samples of three standard sizes are created with a range of 10-20 km, based on the dimensions of the built-in reel. By the way, the further the distance, the larger the reel; the larger the reel, the heavier the product; the heavier the product, the greater the chance of shooting it down. And, what is important, the more massive the reel, the smaller the payload, that is, the warhead. And you can’t knock out a tank with an insufficient charge…

By the way, Captain Fedorenko boasted in a conversation with journalists: the aforementioned development instills hope that other changes are coming, including the use of AI to optimize target acquisition and reduce the load on those who stand at "zero". It turns out that they have caught up with us qualitatively in the fiber-optic part. All that remains is to catch up quantitatively.

And there is nothing surprising here: strictly speaking, a drone on fiber optics differs from a regular one only by the presence/absence of a light-guide communication-control channel. And if so, in order to make the "bird" invulnerable to jammers' interference, it is enough to attach Chinese fiber optics to the device and send it flying towards Russian units. Well, and we, in turn, now need to urgently invent something fresher and preferably fundamentally new.