Ukraine has tested long-range FPV drones on fiber optics. What about their production
3 April 2025 10:56
The first large-scale test of fiber-optic FPV drones took place at the Brave1 test site, involving more than 15 UAV manufacturers. This was announced by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
This was the second test of fiber-optic drones, but it had a fundamental difference. While the drones that took part in the first test flew only at a distance of 5-10 km, this time the fiber optic FPV drones demonstrated their capabilities at distances of more than 20 km. At the training ground, these drones also overcame various obstacles and simulated a target approach.
“Tests in conditions close to combat are a mandatory stage in the development process before delivery to the front. Testing at training grounds helps manufacturers identify imperfections. Then the developers will fix the shortcomings and work on improvement,” the official explained
Fiber optic drones have already become game changers on the battlefield. Among the advantages of fiber optic drones are
– complete invulnerability to electronic warfare – such drones will be able to perform combat missions despite electronic interference;
– invisibility to the enemy – the absence of radio emissions makes it impossible to detect them by means of radio reconnaissance;
– high-quality communication – stable and clear video transmission even over long distances;
– no influence of the radio horizon factor.
In addition, 7 Brave1 teams tested fiber-optic ground robotic systems at the training ground.
Fiber optic drones are now a priority for developers and customers
In January of this year, the Defense Innovation Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, as part of the Army’s innovation and development programs , conducted a presentation test of FPV drones controlled via fiber optic cable for representatives of the commands of the types and branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Thus, the market received a clear signal from the Ministry of Defense on what to focus on.
Now, several dozen teams in the Brave1 cluster are working on the development and production of such drones. The cluster accompanies the teams throughout the process and helps with testing. One of which took place the day before, demonstrating the capabilities of new developments.
To speed up procurement, Brave1 has comp iled a catalog of fiber optic drone manufacturers with their contacts, which is updated in real time.
Heavy hexacopters or “bombers” are also gradually being converted to fiber optics.
As Oleksiy Babenko, director of Vyriy drone, explains in a commentary to EP, due to the high cost, it seemed that fiber-optic drones would never be mass-produced, but now prices on the Ukrainian market are falling, and if earlier the cheapest of them cost 60-80 thousand UAH, now they cost about 30 thousand UAH. In his opinion, the cost can be even lower if companies produce the key component – fiber optic reels – on their own.
The Vyriy drone company estimates that after scaling up production, a serial fiber-optic drone will be only 3-6 thousand UAH more expensive than a regular radio-controlled drone.
Manufacturers say that if the problem with financing and procurement is solved, the army will have a sufficient number of such drones in 2-3 months.
Is it possible to counteract fiber optic drones?
So far, there is no effective defense against these drones. That’s why the development of defense is another challenge for domestic engineers.
As Brave1 told EP, “Ukrainian developers are working on ideas for the physical destruction of such FPVs using turrets, sitcom sets and shotguns, and are also exploring the use of lasers to neutralize drones.”
What is known about the Brave1 cluster
The cluster was launched in April 2023 to stimulate the development of military innovations and defense technologies.
As of mid-December last year, more than 3,200 developments from more than 1,400 manufacturers were registered on the Brave1 platform. More than 230 developments have been codified in accordance with NATO standards.
In 2025, the Ukrainian defense tech sector is expected to attract $100 million in investments.
