Ukrainian FPV drone unspooling the fiber optic cable.Ukrainian FPV drone with fiber-optic communication channel
A fiber optic drone is an uncrewed vehicle, typically an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (usually a first person view (FPV) loitering munition) which uses an optical fiber as its primary guidance and teleoperation link. These drones usually have fiber optic cables between 5 and 20 km long, although prototypes with up to 50 km range have been developed.[1] They are impossible for defence forces to jam and very difficult to detect.[2]
In the early 2000’s, US military research agency DARPA developed an idea for a loitering munition controlled by fiber-optic cable under the Close Combat Lethal Recon program, but it was never fielded.[3]
During the Russo-Ukrainian war both Ukraine and Russia rely on electronic warfare to defeat radio-controlled FPV drones. Jammers are used on trenches and vehicles.[4] Pocket-size jammers for soldiers were also developed.[5]
Fiber optic FPV drones were first fielded by Russia in the spring of 2024 and by Ukraine soon after.[3][6][7] Maximum strike ranges have increased over time, with Russian fiber optic drones hitting areas of Kramatorsk more than 12 miles behind the front lines in October 2025.[8]
Higher data rates from the drone, even from locations where radio contact is poor, and the signal doesn't reveal operator's or drone's location by radio direction finding.[10][11]
Needs less power to communicate, and so can be used to idle on the ground for ambushes.[12]
Disadvantages
Reduced range, payload and maneuverability compared to wireless drones.[13][14]
In practice, range and agility of the wired drones can be even higher than those of the radio-controlled ones, given their increased survivability and reduced control latency.[15]
To counter fiber-optic drones, as of 2025, Ukrainian soldiers deploy lines of stretched barbed wire, with a battery-driven motor that makes the barbed wire rotate around its axis. This has the effect of entangling and breaking the thin fiber-optic wire laid on the ground by fiber-optic drones along their flight path.[17]
↑ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-31. A spokesperson of a Ukrainian brigade operating in the Zaporizhia Oblast reported on October 29 that Russian forces began using first person view drones with fiber optic wires stretching up to 10 kilometers in length against Ukrainian forces in the Zaporizhia direction. The spokesperson added that these drones are reportedly immune to Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) systems and that Ukrainian personnel had to shoot down these drones with small arms. The spokesperson observed that these drones are susceptible to air defense systems, have greatly limited ranges, and are ineffective in dense urban settings.
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