So much Ukraine as Russia They are using in war FPV drones connected to the operator team by fiber optic cables. This system allows them to operate without being affected by the interference of the electronic warfare And that is why its use is increasing, since they began to be seen in the conflict, first by Russia and then by Ukraine, now a year ago.
Use drones physically connected to the controller has a series of advantages, but also inconvenience. About what they have good and bad and the electronic war of Russia has spoken with the specialized environment The War Zone The Commander of the Battalion of Unmanned Systems of the 12.ª Brigade of Special Forces Azov of the National Guard of Ukrainewhich is presented under the indicative Yas.
The advantages of FPV drones with optical fiber
The commander describes the idea of drones with fiber optics of ‘excellent’ because ‘they operate in complete silence by radio’ and that Avoid being detected. Indicates that wired drones They reach their objective in a percentage of 50 % in their operations, exceeding 30 % of the drones that are communicated by radiofrequency. However, reaching it and impacting the objective or dropping an explosive load is not the same. The latter is difficult when the enemy hides in basements or trenches.
Despite its success rate, Only 5 % of the drones that Ukraine is using fiber optic. Those provided by the State have a scope of Between 5 and 8 kilometerswhich is not too much. Yas points out that they have successfully used drones with a scope of 15 kilometers and that they have carried out successfully up to 20 kilometersbut Russia already uses drones with optical fiber that can move away until 30 kilometers of the operator.
The reason why the percentage of wired drones is so low, when its effectiveness is greater, it is’for its popularity. Good manufacturers have long waiting lists. Waiting for two or three months is too much and we cannot turn to low quality systems’.
Another advantage is Your low cost. A wiring drone with a range of up to 10 kilometers costs around $ 1,200 (€ 1,064)but they are still scarce because ‘there is no stable supply of these drones, And that makes it difficult for us to compete with the enemy, which does have centralized processes‘.
Cable drones problems
Yas recognizes that this type of drones have their peculiarities and that the pilot’s ability is decisive so that there are no equipment losses. ‘This technology is quite fragile. Any error can cause an unintentional explosion or loss of control. We have also had cases of loss of control of fiber cable ‘he states.
Ukrainian Soldiers Walk Along A Field Covered in Fiber-Pictic Cable from FPV Drones Somowhere Near The Frontline. pic.twitter.com/tzpgwaj5ey
-Status-6 (military & conflict news) (bluesky too) (@archer83able) May 27, 2025
Another problem, although now less, are The manufacturers. ‘Many did not manufacture the components themselves, but that resigned Chinese systems without understanding their implementation. We should also Manually turn off radio signals Because manufacturers did not understand the requirements. Some did hear our suggestions And their products improved, which has raised the success rate at 50 % or more, ‘he explains.
The Electronic War of Russia
The Electronic Warwhich only affects wireless drones, is another issue addressed by the commander in the interview. According to Yas, ‘the Russians have great capacity to block our signals’ because ‘Its strength is in quantity, not in quality. They quickly climb interference solutions. When we change frequently, they also adapt their countermeasures. They have learned to block control and video channels. Today, its electronic war is one of the most advanced in the world. You have to recognize it ‘.
And another more added difficulty on the battlefield is the saturation of the frequencies that drones use, something to which both those of Russia and Ukraine collaborate. ‘The problem is not so much the line of vision and the transmission intensity. The frequencies are saturated. We are testing new emitters and receivers. About using hot spurs (balloons) to place repeaters, personally It does not seem an effective solution‘, says Yas.