russian media report the creation of a new system that supposedly multiplies the operational range of fiber-optic FPV UAVs. Specifically, it's about an optical-signal repeater that would increase the usable range of cable-fed drones by four times.
The point is that light traveling through an optical cable, like any signal, gradually loses strength. But more important is the weight of the spool, which affects a UAV's flight range and its ability to carry a warhead.
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That's one of the main reasons we still haven't seen fiber-optic FPV drones flying, say, 100 km: to overcome signal attenuation you either need heavier, more powerful cables and pricier equipment, or you must deploy repeaters.
So, the russians, instead of using single-use repeaters that are awkward to deploy, came up with the idea of making a reusable one. They equipped another FPV UAV with a signal repeater. This creates a scheme where the operator's optical cable runs to the relay drone and then onward to the strike drone. They also claim that several FPV strike drones can connect to a single repeater simultaneously.
They add that after the strike UAV is used, the relay drone reels the cable back in. That claim is odd, because reeling requires a dedicated mechanism; if the cable is thin and unspooled, it normally needs special winding machines to be reused. Without that, you can't realistically reuse it.
Overall, one can suppose the project envisions using a heavy multirotor as the repeater, carrying a large spool of fiber. Strike drones with smaller spools would be attached on the ground. The whole vehicle assembly would take off and fly together toward the target area.
We should note that the enemy continues to develop fiber-optic UAV concepts: they recently fitted an optical cable to the Molniya platform, and the Black Sea Fleet has also received a naval drone with similar connectivity for testing.
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