Russian Military Innovates with Wired Drones to Counter Electronic Warfare

This time, Russian "engineers" inventiveness became apparent in the production of combat drones. They've introduced a "wired" version, which essentially involves attaching a spool with approximately 10 kilometres of optical fibre. The wired drone has become an absolute sensation.

Drones are essential equipment for any army in modern military conflicts, as demonstrated in Ukraine. New videos showing the effective neutralisation of Russian units or military equipment surface daily. These relatively inexpensive devices are not only user-friendly but also deadly, as Russian soldiers have regularly discovered.

However, the Russians also have their drones, acquiring them from Iran. The Shahed drones have a relatively hefty price tag, costing around £40,000 each. To save money, Russian ingenuity came into play.

"The Russians came up with the idea... of wired drones on a fibre optic cable."

Some time ago, Serhij Flash reported on a "strange Russian FPV drone" spotted at the front. Along with Magyar, they managed to "capture" such a drone and, after initial research, it was found to be controlled using optical fibre (it had a spool attached with about 10 kilometres of optical fibre) - as reported in a post on the X (Twitter) platform by Technicznybgp.

The post outlines a significant advantage of this solution: its complete immunity to electronic warfare (EW). A significant drawback is almost zero manoeuvrability (otherwise, the cable might break).

EW, or "electronic warfare," involves using equipment for electronic battles. It focuses on disrupting signals and thwarting attacks through electromagnetic pulses. The wired drone appears to be immune to this type of attack. However, it remains vulnerable to its cable being severed.