Ukrainian engineers have created a drone connected to a fiber optic cable, making it virtually invisible and invulnerable to enemy electronic warfare (EW) on the battlefield. Here are the details.
Ukrainian engineers have created a drone connected to a fiber optic cable, making it virtually invisible and invulnerable to enemy electronic warfare (EW) on the battlefield. Here are the details.
Equipped with a 20-kilometer cable, the drone can operate for up to 20 minutes at a speed of 60 km/h. During testing, the device operated fully autonomously for up to 46 minutes, indicating its significant potential for long-duration missions. The drone can carry up to 5.5 kg of payload.
«This drone is completely invisible in the radio spectrum. No electronic warfare system is able to determine its launch location or operator,» Anton Mogolivets, chief engineer of the manufacturing company and developer of the unique drone, told Kyiv Post. According to him, the technology has already passed combat tests and the Ukrainian troops will begin to use it on a large scale in 2025.
This technology could be revolutionary in modern military conflicts, says a Kyiv Post video .
«Three months ago, this technology did not exist in Ukraine at all,» says Mogolivets.
The drone is designed to destroy fortifications, electronic warfare stations, and enemy armored vehicles that are equipped with electronic warfare defenses. In essence, it paves the way for the use of standard FPV drones, eliminating interference from enemy electronic warfare.
As Anton Mogolivets noted, Russia buys drones made using similar technology in China at a high price — about $2,500 per unit, while the cable alone costs $1,000. In contrast, the Ukrainian version costs $1,800.
The production of drones, especially those that operate on fiber optic cables, is a complex and multi-component process. Ukraine has localized the production of up to 40% of parts for such drones. The rest are components that are imported, mainly from China, due to the lack of domestic microelectronics production, the engineer adds.
