Tethered and Unstoppable: How Fiber-Optic Drones Are Rewriting the Rules of Battlefield Control
July 21, 2025 by Miriam McNabb
As radio-controlled drones face growing interference, Ukraine and Russia embrace fiber-optic UAVs for unjammable, high-precision operations.
What Is a Fiber-Optic Drone?
Fiber-optic drones are first-person-view (FPV) drones or loitering munitions connected to their operator by an ultra-thin fiber-optic cable rather than a radio link. These tethers, often stretching up to 20 kilometers or more, carry high-speed data that controls the drone and transmits video back to the pilot. Because the signal is physical rather than wireless, the drone becomes effectively immune to electronic warfare tools like jamming and signal spoofing.
According to publicly available specifications, most fiber-optic drones are built on lightweight FPV frames and can deliver explosives or serve as reconnaissance assets. The optical fiber allows real-time transmission of full HD video with very low latency, even in contested or RF-dense environments. Some models reportedly use specialized reels that deploy or retract cable in flight to reduce drag and environmental impact.
Why Militaries Are Turning to Tethered Drones
Anti-Jamming Advantage
Radio-controlled drones, especially FPVs, are vulnerable to jamming—a growing threat in modern warfare. Fiber-optic drones eliminate this problem entirely. As noted in a recent Moscow Times article, these UAVs offer “complete protection from electronic warfare,” which has made them particularly valuable in environments where signal interference is constant and deliberate.
https://dronelife.com/2025/07/21/tethered-and-unstoppable-how-fiber-optic-drones-are-rewriting-the-rules-of-battlefield-control/
