Wired Drones Overcome Jamming, Creating Battlefield Debris

Key Quotes

"The first thing you should know when looking at this photo is that it is a photo from the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Okay. What does the war in Ukraine mean exactly? Well, people who study this war with any scrutiny or have ever experienced it firsthand would probably say that the Russo-Ukrainian war began over a decade ago in 2014. But as we know, there was a massive Russian military build-up on the Ukrainian border in 2021. Russia began attacking Ukraine in early 2022, and we're now going on four years into that intensified part of the conflict."

This quote establishes the context for the visual presented, clarifying that the image is from the Ukrainian front lines and situating the conflict's origins beyond the commonly understood 2022 invasion. The speaker emphasizes that understanding the war's timeline is crucial for interpreting its current state.

"I think of drones as being wireless, like remote-controlled. Yep. And not needing cables or tethers of any kind. But that's not the case, I guess. Yeah, that's what I thought too. And even though over the past four years, I've seen a lot of drone warfare footage on the internet from Ukraine and Russia, I never knew that currently a bunch of the drone action in Ukraine is wired warfare."

The speaker expresses surprise at the concept of wired drones, contrasting it with the common perception of drones as wireless technology. This highlights a significant evolution in drone warfare tactics that was not widely known to the speaker.

"We've tried to change frequencies, using uh double frequency systems to fly into two frequencies on uh on one time. Yeah. But uh now jamming systems are very, very strong, and there are some areas on the front line where uh radio drone can't uh can't control the combat mission. Yeah, it is. And this is a very big problem."

Alexei explains the limitations of radio-controlled drones due to advanced jamming technology, which renders them ineffective in certain combat zones. This problem necessitates alternative control methods for drone operations.

"So how to solve this problem? What do you do when you can't control a drone with radio frequencies anymore? Well, the radio frequencies aspect of this felt new to me. Internet, fiber optic cables, correct? Fiber drones start to enter the battlefield because of optic fiber can fly anywhere. You can fly through the buildings, you can fly under the uh ground to the maybe trenches and bunkers, because the radio frequency isn't interrupted."

The speaker introduces fiber optic cables as a solution to the problem of radio frequency jamming, explaining that this method allows drones to maintain connection even in environments where radio signals are disrupted. This highlights the adaptability of technology in warfare.

"So Alexei realizes to really make these fiber drones effective, he needs longer cables. The way these fiber optic drones work is that they have these spools on them, almost like a fishing reel on a fishing pole. The spool lets out the cable as the drone travels. Getting spools of high-quality fiber optic cable longer than 1 kilometer is tough, but as jamming becomes more and more popular, people start to find solutions to the cable length problem."

This quote details the technical challenge of extending the range of fiber optic drones by requiring longer cables. The speaker notes that the increasing prevalence of jamming has driven innovation in finding solutions for cable length limitations.

"And this is a big part of the final problem, the one that isn't solved, and I really want to think about this. You know, these drones are flying with explosives, maybe for an hour to get where they are going. These are active battle lines, and you want another worst part? I cannot believe that we are not at the worst part already, but sure. Well, you kind of already know and can guess, but I think it's best to hear Alexei say it: 'If we speak about cable, it's going to be used again because it is very thin and very long. You can't throw came back each from the fields, from the trees, and it is a very big ecological problem.'"

The speaker identifies a significant, unresolved issue: the environmental impact of discarded fiber optic cables from these drones. Alexei articulates this problem, emphasizing the long-term ecological consequences of this wartime technology.