Fibre-optic FPV drone

Fibre-optic FPV drones are a class of first-person-view attack drones controlled through a physical fibre-optic cable rather than a radio frequency link. The cable, typically a micro-spool of 10 to 20 kilometres, unspools behind the drone during flight and carries the control signal and video feed. Because no radio signal is transmitted, these drones are invisible to every RF-based Counter-UAS detection and jamming system currently fielded by NATO forces.

The technology gained prominence when Skycutter's Shrike 10 Fiber, developed in partnership with Ukrainian firm SkyFall, scored 99.3 out of 100 in the Pentagon's first Drone Dominance Gauntlet at Fort Moore, Georgia. The fibre-optic cable eliminates the two primary vulnerabilities of conventional FPV drones: GPS denial and communications jamming. Ukraine's combat experience with fibre-optic designs has driven rapid iteration, with manufacturers producing tens of thousands monthly.

UK Defence Innovation published a formal industry call on 8 April 2026, closing 21 April, explicitly acknowledging that conventional RF and electronic warfare counter-drone systems cannot detect fibre-optic platforms. The gap is doctrinal, not merely technical: no fielded Counter-UAS system in any Western inventory was designed to address a threat with no electromagnetic signature. Detection requires visual, acoustic, or infrared sensing rather than RF scanning, capabilities that existing systems do not prioritise.