Are Ukrainian and Russian electronic jamming-resistant drones unstoppable?

In the evolving landscape of modern warfare, both Ukraine and Russia are deploying fibre-optic-controlled drones that are impervious to electronic interference – but can the current anti-drone techniques be enough to stop them?

The first-person view (FPV) drones are next-level and are controlled by a fibre-optic cable rather than a radio signal and they also feed back crystal-clear imagery. 

Russia is using them in the thousands, so what – if anything – can be done to halt them?

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Drone expert Professor Peter Lee from the University of Portsmouth told BFBS Forces News that the "principle of a fibre-optic drone is quite simple… take a standard FPV drone and attach a reel of fibre-optic cable to the body".

"It doesn't provide power – that still comes from batteries," he explained.

"But it can be used to control the drone and feed back high-quality video signals, doing away with any of the radio emissions that make a UAV detectable and making the drone impervious to electronic jamming.

"The weight of the fibre-optic conductor does reduce the flight time and weapons payload slightly, but these drones can still fly more than 20km into the enemy's lines and stay airborne for around 20 minutes."

Prof Lee added: "Interrupting the signal is very difficult because it's not broadcast, so how do you tap into a fibre-optic cable? It's technically very difficult.

"The other option is to break that connector, and that is really the only option."

Russia was the first to introduce fibre-optic FPV drones, using them for reconnaissance and attacks on Ukrainian forces.

A 1.5kg reel of fibre-optic cable is enough to provide a drone with 10km of range, with larger reels providing an even greater range. 

Ukraine is deploying its own version of these drones and there are reports it is also developing sound detectors that can identify incoming uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).

In December, the British Army successfully trialled a radio frequency-directed energy weapon.

This device uses high-frequency radio waves to damage critical components inside drones. 

Long-term, lasers are another possible answer – the Royal Navy is fitting the Dragonfire laser system to its ships from 2027. 

But for now, finding a way to cut the fibre-optic cable seems to be the only realistic solution.