At the beginning of this year the first news arrived confirming the use of FPV drones with optical fiber by Russia In the war of Ukraine. A drone that maintains communication with its operator through a physical connection such as the cable presents a series of challenges to be resolved, but also a very large advantage: They are immune to interference, which makes them useless against them the systems of Electronic War. Then it was learned that Ukraine was also working in UAV (acronym for unmanned aerial vehicle) connected by fiber optic and now is testing this technology with UGV (Unmanned land vehicles).
Brave1 Test seven UGV models with optical fiber
Recently, the Ukrainian Defense Technological Incubator Brave1 He has been evaluating 7 different models of Terrestrial drones connected by cableaccording to The War Zone. ‘We are very interested in implementing the optical fiber so that our (UGV) can operate at greater distances and help us destroy the enemy even more effectively‘, he said on Facebook Alexander JabchankaHead of the Robotic Systems Service of the Vovki da Vinci Battalion, present in the demonstration of Brave1.
These terrestrial drones with optical fiber are in test phase And they still do not operate on the battle front, but the results are promising, according to the company. ‘It is still in early stages, but we have managed to identify promising solutions. Although it is not yet ready for a massive deployment in the Ukraine Armed Forces, You have the potential to change the rules of the game in specific and well calculated scenarios‘, Brave1 explained to the middle.
Advantages of Fiber Optics in UGV
In addition to avoiding interference, controlling a drone, aerial or terrestrial, through a fiber optic connection instead of radiofrequency allows Its performance is not diminished when operating near the ground, between obstacles or irregular terrain.
As explained Gleb KanevskyDirector of the Procurement Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, to Ekonomichna Pravda, ‘The platform must have reliable communication, since it can be easily lost due to land distortions or other obstacles. The robot must be off -road, that is, not stuck in grass, snow, sand or mud ‘.
Technical challenges of wired UGVs
But a cable UGV, like a wired FPV drone, presents its own problems. The main one, The risk of cables to get entangled in rocks, vegetation or other obstaclessomething about which is not clear how Brave1 focuses. Nor is it known what reach a UGV with fiber optics and for how many kilometers you can get away from the operator. Its maneuverability is limited and are exposed to the cable can be cut with simple scissors and that the drone is completely unused.
In the case of Russian FPV drones with optical fiber, reports indicate that they can use an optical cable of up to 20 kilometers and that land equipment is required to deploy and manage fiber optic cableswhich adds an additional coordination and support layer. This can be a problem in combat situations in which time and speed are essential.
The future of UGV with optical fiber in Ukraine
Although no UGV with optical fiber has not yet been deployed, Ukraine has already taken steps in that direction. In February, the Ukrainian unmanned systems forces They presented Universal fiber optic navigation modulescalled Shovkopryad (‘Silkworm’), designed to integrate into aerial, terrestrial and maritime drones. These universal modules allow Reduce the costs and implementation times of the optical fiber In terrestrial drones thanks to their interoperability.
Brave1 ensures that the tests’ demonstrated the viability of the UGV controlled by fiber optics in specific scenarios. Our next step consists of Develop tactics for application. Our team is working on it collaboratively. ‘
Currently, most UGVs in Ukraine are used to Logistics tasksincluding the transport of equipment, supplies, injured and weapons. They are also used in tasks of Placement of mines and attack operations with the use of coupled machine guns. However, UGV with optical fiber will be allocated to suicide attacks and high -risk operationsNot for logistics, Kanevsky said.