Jam-Proof & Unstoppable: How Fiber-Optic Drones Are Rewiring the Future of UAVs
Fiber-optic drones carry control commands and high-bandwidth video via a tether, delivering a 1 Gbps (1000Base-T) link with near-zero latency and immunity to RF jamming. Fiber communications were pioneered by Charles Kao in 1966 and proven practical by 1977, enabling high-bandwidth data transfer for drones. Russia deployed fiber-tethered kamikaze FPV drones in spring 2024 during the Ukraine conflict, achieving demonstrated ranges of 20–30 km. By late 2024, Ukraine’s 3DTech with the Khyzhak REBOFF series and Russia’s Ushkuynik group’s Knyaz Vandal were among the first operational fiber-drone models. In the 2010s, tethered systems from Elistair and Hoverfly used Kevlar-based tethers for