4 ms·

The article talks about signal jammers, but as far as I know most drones there are remote controlled using fiber for exactly that reason?

troupo 1y ago
He talks about that in the article
rich_sasha 1y ago
There are... I think they aren't unproblematic - the fibre can get caught on things etc. Also I read of instances where the opposition can follow the fibre back to find the drone operators.
- FirmwareBurner 1y ago
  Sounds like for fiber optic strikes you gotta do a "shoot and scoot".
  - orthoxerox 1y ago
    The operators usually use a cordless drill to wind back as much cable as they can after the drone is used.
    - sorcerer-mar 1y ago
      This is why it's so fascinating to read about this conflict. The back and forth innovations (some obvious, some rudimentary, some very much not) is just incredible to follow. Early on: Drones in war! Then: Ahh EW makes them useless! Then: Fiber optics defeat EW! Then: But you can follow the cable! Then: But you can try to respool the cable with a power drill! Every week it seems is a new move.
      - throwawayffffas 1y ago
        Next up: Autonomous targeting. Next Next up: Decoys.
- matusp 1y ago
  Tracing the fiber back is possible only in extremely favorable conditions. The light must hit the cable just right and there cannot be too many cables from previous runs on the battlefield.
  - dizhn 1y ago
    It's not too bad when they see the drone passing by. I have no idea how often this can happen without being seen though.
    - bluGill 1y ago
      Those cables are 10km long. You can trade a couple hundred meters when the drone is flying by, but there are several KM that you cannot even see at the same time as you can see the drone.
jansan 1y ago
Yes, he writes that after he left the battlefield they became more common. There was a video of a soldier wading through massive amounts of fiber near the front line. Just imagine that for each drone attack there will be 10-50km of fiber dropped on the landscape. It will not rot and stay there until someone cleans it up.
- ataru 1y ago
  I've always wondered if the burning batteries and electronics in the drones have any significant environmental impact when compared to conventional weapons.
  - ta1243 1y ago
    I'd rather have old fibre cables and lithium batteries than old unexploded ordinance (If wishes were horses I'd rather Russia hadn't invaded a sovereign country in the first place, but we are where we are)
    - lordnacho 1y ago
      According to the article, you will get BOTH of those, no? Some of the bombs on the drones don't explode.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
- euroderf 1y ago
  If it has value as a recyclable, it will be cleaned up. Does it ?
8note 1y ago
> Today, some Ukrainian and Russian units are also using drones controlled by fiber-optic cable, rather than radio, though I had no personal experience with this type of drone in my unit
- paganel 1y ago
  Because it is mostly the Russians that are using those, the Ukrainians have also started using them but in less fewer numbers.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - adrian_b 1y ago
    As TFA says, Ukraine has a much smaller capacity of producing the required optical fiber, which is the main reason why they are using fewer such drones.
    - paganel 1y ago
      > the required optical fiber So then why isn't the West providing them with optical fiber?
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
bluGill 1y ago
From what I understand Ukraine is not using many fiber drones because there are other disadvantages. They can have them, but they mostly choose to use radio anyway. Russia is using a lot of fiber drones.
CapricornNoble 1y ago
There's a really good interview with a Russian drone manufacturer where he talks about how you need to use both. The fiber-optic drones have small warheads/payloads. They are used to hunt the enemy's EW transmitters. Once the jammers have been suppressed, then the radio-controlled drones with bigger payloads go to work and do the bulk of the damage.

troupo 1y ago

He talks about that in the article

rich_sasha 1y ago

There are... I think they aren't unproblematic - the fibre can get caught on things etc. Also I read of instances where the opposition can follow the fibre back to find the drone operators.

FirmwareBurner 1y ago
Sounds like for fiber optic strikes you gotta do a "shoot and scoot".
- orthoxerox 1y ago
  The operators usually use a cordless drill to wind back as much cable as they can after the drone is used.
  - sorcerer-mar 1y ago
    This is why it's so fascinating to read about this conflict. The back and forth innovations (some obvious, some rudimentary, some very much not) is just incredible to follow. Early on: Drones in war! Then: Ahh EW makes them useless! Then: Fiber optics defeat EW! Then: But you can follow the cable! Then: But you can try to respool the cable with a power drill! Every week it seems is a new move.
    - throwawayffffas 1y ago
      Next up: Autonomous targeting. Next Next up: Decoys.
matusp 1y ago
Tracing the fiber back is possible only in extremely favorable conditions. The light must hit the cable just right and there cannot be too many cables from previous runs on the battlefield.
- dizhn 1y ago
  It's not too bad when they see the drone passing by. I have no idea how often this can happen without being seen though.
  - bluGill 1y ago
    Those cables are 10km long. You can trade a couple hundred meters when the drone is flying by, but there are several KM that you cannot even see at the same time as you can see the drone.

jansan 1y ago

Yes, he writes that after he left the battlefield they became more common. There was a video of a soldier wading through massive amounts of fiber near the front line. Just imagine that for each drone attack there will be 10-50km of fiber dropped on the landscape. It will not rot and stay there until someone cleans it up.

ataru 1y ago
I've always wondered if the burning batteries and electronics in the drones have any significant environmental impact when compared to conventional weapons.
- ta1243 1y ago
  I'd rather have old fibre cables and lithium batteries than old unexploded ordinance (If wishes were horses I'd rather Russia hadn't invaded a sovereign country in the first place, but we are where we are)
  - lordnacho 1y ago
    According to the article, you will get BOTH of those, no? Some of the bombs on the drones don't explode.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
euroderf 1y ago
If it has value as a recyclable, it will be cleaned up. Does it ?

8note 1y ago

> Today, some Ukrainian and Russian units are also using drones controlled by fiber-optic cable, rather than radio, though I had no personal experience with this type of drone in my unit

paganel 1y ago
Because it is mostly the Russians that are using those, the Ukrainians have also started using them but in less fewer numbers.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- adrian_b 1y ago
  As TFA says, Ukraine has a much smaller capacity of producing the required optical fiber, which is the main reason why they are using fewer such drones.
  - paganel 1y ago
    > the required optical fiber So then why isn't the West providing them with optical fiber?

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

bluGill 1y ago

From what I understand Ukraine is not using many fiber drones because there are other disadvantages. They can have them, but they mostly choose to use radio anyway. Russia is using a lot of fiber drones.

CapricornNoble 1y ago

There's a really good interview with a Russian drone manufacturer where he talks about how you need to use both. The fiber-optic drones have small warheads/payloads. They are used to hunt the enemy's EW transmitters. Once the jammers have been suppressed, then the radio-controlled drones with bigger payloads go to work and do the bulk of the damage.