An FPV drone with an innovative cable control system was created in Ukraine – details

Drones with a fiber optic cable are not afraid of electronic attacks, ensure high efficiency on the battlefield.

Ukrainian company 3DTech is preparing for delivery to the military the first batch of FPV drones that are controlled via fiber optic cable. These drones are not susceptible to radio-electronic interference, which makes them effective in the conditions of electronic attacks.

The founder and CEO of the company, Oleksiy Zhulinsky, told Forbes about this.

The 3DTech company has successfully tested the new attack UAV “Predator REBOFF” in combat conditions. This drone uses a fiber optic cable for control instead of traditional radio communication. Such a communication system is protected against radio-electronic interference, which makes the drone effective in areas of active electronic attacks on the battlefield.

Currently, the REBOFF Predator attack drone undergoes certification for admission to procurement by the Armed Forces and structures of the Defense Forces. At the same time, the 3DTech company has already started production of the first batch of impact FPV drones. According to Zhulinskyi, with the available resources, the company can produce up to a thousand devices in a relatively short period of time.

The new 3DTech drone is equipped with a reel with a cable that unwinds during flight, replacing traditional radio communication for FPV systems. The company offers 10-inch copters with two coils that allow flights to a distance of 5 or 10 kilometers. The “short” version can carry up to 2.3 kg of load, and the “long” version — only 1.2 kg, due to the weight of the cable itself.

Zhulinsky said that the drone system with the 10-kilometer cable has an additional 2.8 kg of weight due to the winding mechanism and cable, which significantly reduces the available payload. As part of the tests, the developers also tested 13-inch drones capable of carrying a warhead weighing up to 2 kg at such a distance, with the possibility of increasing the range by using more powerful devices.

Fiber optic communication technology also avoids problems with radio-electronic interference, improves image quality and eliminates signal loss over long distances. In addition, such drones can operate effectively in difficult terrain, such as in valleys or forests, and approach targets at low altitude, which provides an element of surprise for the adversary.

According to Zhulinsky, the fiber optic cable used in a drone, is extremely durable. During the first test flight, a group of cyclists caught the cable, but it did not break, confirming its durability. However, pilots must be careful as the cable can become brittle if bent more than 45 degrees or tangled in a knot. To minimize the risk of breakage, the coil mounting system has been specially designed, but pilots must avoid sharp maneuvers to avoid damaging the cable with the propellers.