Found in Ukraine
Russia apparently uses cable-linked kamikaze drones
March 9, 2024, 5:22 p.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
Drones play an important role in the war in Ukraine. On the front, Ukrainian military personnel have now come into their own hands with a Russian drone that has a cable connection. According to experts, the data connection offers several advantages.
Russian troops in Ukraine are experimenting with wired kamikaze drones on the front lines, according to a report. This is reported by the US portal “The War Zone“, citing a Telegram post by the Ukrainian military member Serhiy Flash, who specializes in electronic warfare. The channel published several photos on Thursday that are said to show a captured Russian FPV (First Person View) drone with a fiber optic cable. Where and when the recordings were taken is unclear.
In one of the published images you can see the label of a cable spool. The label indicates a cable length of 10.8 kilometers. One end of the cable is connected to the main control area of the drone. According to the information, the quadcopter also has a provisionally attached explosive device. “We saw something we had never seen before. A Russian FPV drone flew towards a target with a 10 kilometer long spool of thin fiber optic cable. The cable was unrolled in the air,” the Telegram post said.
Wired control offers some advantages, writes “The War Zone”. The physical connection protects the drone from interference signals (jamming) in the context of electronic warfare. Thanks to the cable, the transmission of larger amounts of data is also possible. A constant, uninterrupted, high-quality video signal could increase the accuracy and effectiveness of attacks. In addition, the drone would not emit radio signals, which would make identification by electronic surveillance systems difficult. The disadvantage, however, is that a kilometer-long cable connection is likely to impair maneuverability.
It is unclear to what extent the recovered drone is a first prototype. According to the Telegram post, the find was handed over to a Ukrainian drone unit for further investigation.