Ukrainian Troops Use Fiber-optic Drones for Ambushes
Ukrainian soldiers are deploying fiber-optic drones in innovative ways to deceive and ambush Russian forces. These drones are resistant to electronic interference, allowing them to scout enemy positions and capture high-quality video. Despite their advantages, the drones have vulnerabilities, such as fragile cables and increased costs. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces are increasingly using ambush tactics with drones.
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Ukrainian soldiers have found innovative uses for fiber-optic drones, deploying them in deceptive ways to ambush Russian forces. These drones, which are impervious to electronic warfare, provide close-range video reconnaissance, allowing Ukrainian forces to scout Russian positions and study bunker layouts to create attack openings. Dmytro Zhluktenko, an analyst with Ukraine's 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment, noted that these tactics can "create tons of chaos."
Operators use the drones for deception by having them play dead or lie in wait before exploding when soldiers approach. This strategy helps expose enemy positions that are otherwise protected. The fiber-optic drones can capture high-quality video of bunker entrances, which assists in determining how to breach these fortified areas effectively.
While the drones offer precise intelligence at close range, they are slower than untethered first-person view (FPV) drones. Their delicate data cables, which transmit pilot commands and video, are prone to breaking on obstacles. Soldiers sometimes carry scissors to cut encountered cables, with a U.S. veteran noting there are "very simple ways to bring them down," including cutting the wires or relying on cold weather, which "will break them half the time."
The necessity of these drone systems arises from the prolific electronic warfare in the region. However, the rising cost of cables is limiting their usage. To counteract this, Ukraine is seeking more stable connections through signal repeaters.
Deception and ambush tactics are a growing trend for both Ukrainian and Russian forces. According to a British medic, Russian drones are also used for ambushes, hiding in grass and activating when soldiers pass by. These drones can be quiet and insidious, often lying in wait next to roads to target vehicles.
Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, a former drone warfare advisor for Ukraine's defense ministry, confirmed that Russia employs fiber-optic drones for ambushes, with drones lying in wait along roadways. "It's effective and causes us a lot of problems," Beskrestnov said. Russia also uses solar-powered drones for dormant ambushes, hiding them on roads, intersections, and forest trails, ready to strike quickly when a target is spotted.
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