**Ukraine’s Fiber-Optic Drone Problem: When the Enemy is Always Connected**
In a battlefield where electronic warfare has become the norm, Ukraine’s forces used to have an edge. By tracing fiber-optic cables, they could track down Russian drone operators and strike back. But now, the tables have turned. The proliferation of jam-proof fiber-optic first-person-view (FPV) drones has made it increasingly difficult for Ukrainian forces to detect and counter them.
These FPV drones use millimeter-thick optical fibers to send and receive signals over long distances, making them impervious to radio interference that can ground wireless drones. While spotting the reflective fibers spooling out behind a drone is still possible in bright sunlight, following them back to an active base has become nearly impossible.
The problem is evident in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, where fields around Pokrovsk and Chasiv Yar are littered with hundreds of old fiber-optic cables. Ukrainian electronic-warfare expert Serhii “Flash” has been documenting this issue through videos, highlighting the challenge of tracing specific fibers back to an operator.
**The Limits of Counter-Drone Tactics**
In February, a Ukrainian drone team from the Kara Dag Brigade successfully tracked down and bombed a Russian drone base by following a web of optical fibers. However, with the number of fiber-optic cables increasing exponentially, this tactic is no longer effective. As more units adopt these jam-proof drones on both sides, finding ways to defeat them has become even more daunting.
**Shutting Doors: A Simple yet Effective Defense**
While it’s getting harder to track down drone operators, Ukrainian forces have a simple yet effective defense strategy: shutting doors. Buildings can block radio signals and confuse wireless FPV drones, significantly reducing their range. This tactic is widely adopted by both Ukrainian brigades and Russian regiments.
However, fiber-optic drones don’t mind buildings and can easily fly into barns, garages, or warehouses through open doors or holes in roofs. Incredibly, some of the most dramatic raids on concealed forces have begun with drones flying right through these openings to strike at parked vehicles or sleeping soldiers.
**The Future of Drone Warfare Defense**
In this new era of drone warfare, shutting doors and securing buildings may be the best defense against fiber-optic FPV drones. But as the number of these jam-proof drones increases, it’s becoming clear that traditional counter-drone tactics will no longer suffice. The future of defense lies in developing strategies to stop these drones at the point of attack, rather than trying to track down their operators.
**Read More**
To learn more about Ukraine’s fiber-optic drone problem and the challenges of defending against them, visit [euromaidanpress.com](http://euromaidanpress.com) for their latest article on this topic.
