Technology

Kyiv finds a way to stop the unstoppable fibre-optic drones launched by Russia

Watch: Ukraine's 'Birds of Magyar' claim breakthrough against Russia's 'unjammable' drones

For months, Russia's use of fibre-optic cable-linked drones has posed a significant challenge to Ukrainian forces.

Unlike traditional drones, which rely on radio signals and can be jammed, these systems are connected to their operators via kilometres of cable, making them immune to electronic warfare.

Now, Ukraine claims to have found a way to detect and destroy them.

New footage released by Ukraine's Unmanned Strike Aviation Brigade, known as the Birds of Magyar, appears to show a Russian fibre-optic drone being targeted mid-flight.

The brigade says it used a newly developed mobile radar system capable of detecting these drones from several kilometres away.

While details of how the system works remain classified, its effectiveness could be a turning point in the ongoing battle for air superiority.

Russia's adoption of fibre-optic drones has been bolstered by Chinese technology, with new video evidence showing drones deploying more than 10km of high-strength cable.

The cables disseminated by the drones resemble a "spider's web" – strong, nearly invisible, and resistant to jamming.

Watch: Ukraine's problem with Russian fibre-optic drones

These drones have been used to strike Ukrainian targets with precision, often without warning.

A recent video released by Russian sources showed one such drone successfully targeting a Ukrainian ground station before the operators could launch their own drone in defence.

Now, however, Ukraine believes it has an answer. The Birds of Magyar suggest that their newly developed system allows them to track fibre-optic drones in real-time – something previously thought to be impossible.

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