Ukraine has notoriously had a battlefield advantage because of their first person view (FPV) drones. Recently though, Russia has started to increase their use of fiber optic drones, drones controlled by a thin fiber optic cable. These cables can extend many miles.
This may seem like a step in the wrong direction, but there is one main advantage to using these more primitive drones: they can not be jammed by electronic jamming methods.
One of the main methods of stopping classic radio drones is electronic jamming, making so much noise on the frequency that the drones can’t find the pilot’s signal. If you get rid of the radio, then that fixes the problem entirely, but the new drones do have their downsides.
First, the cable is so thin that it can easily snap when caught on a natural obstacle such as a tree, rock, or animal, so the drones have to fly very low and straight to avoid getting the sagging cables caught on obstacles. Second, if anyone finds the fiber optic cable, they can easily cut it and stop the drone. And finally, these drones are very hard to maneuver.
These drones are currently almost exclusively being used by Russia because China, where these drones are mostly made, has been a long time ally of Russia. This makes it hard for Ukraine to get their hands on these drones in the large quantity that Russia has been deploying them in.
Fiber optic drones have also started cropping up outside of the war in Ukraine. We have seen rebel groups in Mali and Myanmar use them as well.
This is just a chapter in the longstanding conflict between Russia and Ukraine and we will see what advances both sides come up with next.
Sources : https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/fibre-optic-drones-reshape-ukraine-s-technological-war
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