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Fiber optic drone
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Uncrewed vehicle guided by an optical fiber
Ukrainian FPV drone unspooling the fiber optic cable.<br>Ukrainian FPV drone with fiber-optic communication channel<br>A fiber optic drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), usually a first-person view (FPV) loitering munition, which uses an optical fiber as its primary guidance and teleoperation link. These drones usually have fiber optic cables between 5 and 20 km (3.1 and 12.4 mi) long, although prototypes with up to 50 km (31 mi) range have been developed.[1] They are impossible for defence forces to jam and very difficult to detect.[2]
History
In the early 2000’s, US military research agency DARPA developed an idea for a loitering munition controlled by fiber-optic cable under the Close Combat Lethal Recon program, but it was never fielded.[3]
During the Russo-Ukrainian war both Ukraine and Russia rely on electronic warfare to defeat radio-controlled FPV drones. Jammers are used on trenches and vehicles.[4] Pocket-size jammers for soldiers were also developed.[5]
Fiber optic FPV drones were first fielded by Russia in the spring of 2024 and by Ukraine soon after.[3][6][7] Maximum strike ranges have increased over time, with Russian fiber optic drones hitting areas of Kramatorsk more than 19 kilometres behind the front lines in October 2025.[8]
Lebanese armed group Hezbollah used fiber optic drones in the 2026 Lebanon war as part of the Hezbollah–Israel conflict.[9]
Characteristics
Advantages
Immunity to jamming.[10]
Higher data rates from the drone, even from locations where radio contact is poor, and the signal doesn't reveal operator's or drone's location by radio direction finding.[11][12]
Needs less power to communicate, and so can be used to idle on the ground for ambushes.[13]
Disadvantages
Reduced range, payload and maneuverability compared to wireless drones.[14][15]
The fiber-optic cord can get tangled or even broken off.[16]
Countermeasures
To counter fiber-optic drones, as of 2025, Ukrainian soldiers deploy lines of stretched barbed wire, with a battery-driven motor that makes the barbed wire rotate around its axis. This has the effect of entangling and breaking the thin fiber-optic wire laid on the ground by fiber-optic drones along their flight path.[17]
Environmental concerns
The long trails of fiber optic cable left behind the drones on the battlefield may be a significant source of plastic pollution because most of the cables are made from synthetic polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) and fluoropolymers.[18][19]
See also
Wire-guided missile
Ushkuynik KVN
References
^ Hambling, David (6 June 2025). "Fiber Optic Bird's Nest Heralds A Fiber Drone Summer In Ukraine". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
^ "Israel to expand use of fiber-optic guided drones". Globes. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
^ a b Hambling, David (8 March 2024). "Russian Fiber Optic Drone Beats Any Jammer (UPDATE: Ukraine Version)". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
^ "Ukrainian EW developer on anti-drone warfare – interview". New Voice of Ukraine. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
^ Oleksandr Tartachnyi (21 March 2024). "The Invisible War: Inside the electronic warfare arms race that could shape course of war in Ukraine". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
^ "How Do Fiber Optic Drones Work? Everything You Need To Know". 9 January 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
^ Altman, Howard (28 May 2025). "Inside Ukraine's Fiber-Optic Drone War". twz.com. The War Zone. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
^ Altman, Howard; Rogway, TYLER (6 October 2025). "Russian Fiber-Optic Drones Are Now Reaching Into Ukrainian Cities Deep Behind The Lines". twz.com. The War Zone. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
^ "Hezbollah adopts a new weapon: Fiber-optic drones, used widely in the war in Ukraine". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 30 April 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
^ JOSEPH TREVITHICK; TYLER ROGOWAY (8 March 2024). "Russia Now Looks To Be Using Wire-Guided Kamikaze Drones In Ukraine". TWZ.
^ Mittal, Vikram. "Ukraine And Russia Battle To Defeat "Un-jammable" Fiber-Optic Drones". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
^ Panella, Chris. "Russia appears to be using wired, unjammable fiber-optic drones that could fix a big problem its operators have faced in this war". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
^ Hambling, David. "New Drone Tactics Sealed Russian Victory In Kursk". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-31. A spokesperson of a Ukrainian brigade operating in the Zaporizhia Oblast reported on October 29 that Russian forces began...