The Ukrainian Defense Technological Incubator Brave1 Several demonstrations and evidence with a wide variety of drones produced locally. The protagonists were the Non -manned land vehicles (UGV), of which there were 70 models, 7 of them connected by fiber optic cable instead of radiofrequency, but there was also space for Drones with optical fiber. This is a variant that has become of interest to both Ukraine and Russia for its invulnerability to the interference produced by the media of electronic war.
The use of drones with optical fiber on the battle front was announced last January, when Oleksandr SyrskyiCommander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that Russia was using this type of drones in their attacks, He warned of the risks they suppose for his troops and reported that Ukraine was also developing drones with optical fiber. In the demonstration of Brave1, in which he brought together more than 15 of the main drone manufacturers with fiber optic models, advances in this field have been shown.
Mykhailo FedorovMinister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, he said in Telegram about the event that ‘Fiber optic drones have become revolutionaries on the battlefield, being absolutely invulnerable to electronic war and invisible for the enemy’. The Brigade General participated in the demonstrations Andriy LebedenkoSubcomandante in Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Innovation Directorate of the Armed Forces.
Greater range with optical fiber
During the tests, each drone had to complete a demanding 20 kilometers and simulate attacks against enemy objectives. The results showed that drones can fly further using fiber optic control.
Thanks to this technology, drones that previously They had a range of only 5 to 10 km can now exceed 20 km without losing signal or control. Unlike traditional FPV drones, which depend on radio signals easily blockable by Russian electronic warfare systems, Fiber optic drones do not emit radio signals. This does them immune to interference and practically invisible to Russian electronic recognition systems.
The operators also reported Stable and no cuts of video transmissionseven long distances, according to Techukraine. Being a direct cable connection, these drones Nor do interference derived from land suffersuch as hills, buildings or vegetation, as it happens by radiofrequency.
The Captain OLEKSANDR YABCHANKAof the Da Vinci Wolves battalion, he said: ‘The optical fiber changes everything. A long distance stable communication allows us to destroy enemy forces more effectively ‘.
The Silkworm module
The new module Silkworm (silk worm) of Ukraine is at the center of this development. It was presented in February by the Ukrainian unmanned systems forces And it’s about Universal fiber optic navigation modules Designed to integrate into aerial, terrestrial and sea drones.
These universal modules allow reduce costs and implementation times of fiber optics in terrestrial drones thanks to its interoperability.
Still connected by cable, drones with silkworm system They maintain their speed and agility and can exceed 20 km of reach.
Drones fiber optic problems
Despite all its advantages, the use of fiber optics presents its own challenges. The first, that the cable, which unwinds along tens of kilometers, can be entangled in rocks, vegetation or other obstaclessomething that is not clear how manufacturers face.
The cable is also an important vulnerability, since A simple cut with scissors It makes the drone lose all his communication with the operator.
In the case of Russian drones with fiber optics, also with a scope of 20 kilometersit was reported that They need land equipment to deploy and manage cables of fiber optics, which complicates logistics to use these drones.