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Ukrainians Made an FPV With Fiber-Optic Cord Stretching For 41 km

Ukrainian fiber-optic FPV drone with cable length 41 km / Video screenshot credit: Magyar's Birds
Ukrainian fiber-optic FPV drone with cable length 41 km / Video screenshot credit: Magyar's Birds
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The new record-breaking product of affordable drone warfare and a few implications of the drone race that this warfare entails

The 414th unmanned strike systems brigade, known to the public as the Ptakhy Madiara, or Magyar's Birds, has unveiled a first-person view (FPV) copter drone operated via a fiber-optic cable stretching for up to 41 kilometers. This parameter defines the maximum operational range of this small-sized explosive drone, while the wired control ensures invulnerability to electromagnetic suppression and inconspicuousness to SIGINT systems.

Read more: ​Wired FPV Drones on Optical Fiber: a Dead End, a Band Aid, or a New Technological Breakthrough? (Opinion)

Furthermore, the military unit has announced that they would produce 1,100 such drones in the upcoming batch. It is speculated that around a thousand would be made monthly, providing a means to deliver drone attacks onto far-reaching artillery and mid-range air defense systems, i.e. targets previously unreachable for FPV drones because of battery charge limits and electronic warfare systems covering them.

So far, 41 km is the farthest operating range declared for a wired FPV drone or any other drone connected via optical fiber worldwide. The production rate of 1,000 units a month is no less impressive in this context. It has the potential to turn fiber-optic FPVs into a truly mass-produced yet affordable weapon for strikes at tactical to operational depth.

Here, Defense Express would like to look more broadly at the discourse this development highlights. First, the appearance of such an "all-in" weapon, especially against the backdrop of an ongoing debate over the effectiveness of wired drones in general, goes to show the intensity of the technological race unfolding between Ukrainian and russian defense industries, in the unmanned systems particularly.

Although the war in Ukraine is not the first big conflict over the past 50 years so much characterized by extensive use of unmanned systems for combat, this phenomenon is unique. At least it's unparalleled in terms of how it boosted the development of military drones not just in the countries directly involved but globally, too. And none of the sides to this war has a decisive technological advantage yet.

Ukrainian fiber-optic FPV drone with cable length 41 km / Defense Express / Ukrainians Made an FPV With Fiber-Optic Cord Stretching For 41 km
Ukrainian fiber-optic FPV drone with cable length 41 km / Photo credit: Magyar's Birds

The second aspect accentuated by the drone with a 41-km coiled fiber-optic cord is the importance of having a proper component supply besides simply conceptualizing with raw ideas. Earlier, notably in September and December 2024, there have been many reports of China considering a ban on supplying its products used as drone components by Ukrainian manufacturers.

However, the appearance of a new device ready for mass production is an indirect sign that so far, despite the anticipated setbacks, the dronemaking industry of Ukraine doesn't have any issues with the drone parts inventory.

The massive coil unwines the cord mid-flight for a maximum length of 41.4 km / Defense Express / Ukrainians Made an FPV With Fiber-Optic Cord Stretching For 41 km
The massive coil unwines the cord mid-flight for a maximum length of 41.4 km / Photo credit: Magyar's Birds

Earlier, Magyar's Birds commander Robert Brovdi explained the advantages that FPV drones on optical fiber control bring to the battlefield. Defense Express also traced the emergence of this technology, from the first samples recorded in Ukraine to implementation into working models ready for serial production, and pointed out the strength of the thin fiber-optic cable.

Read more: ​Ukrainian Forces Counter Drone Threats with “In-House” Fiber-Optic Technology