Ukraine to have more fiber-optic drones by summer-end - Achilles regiment commander

That’s according to the Commander of the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment "Achilles", Yuriy Fedorenko, who spoke in a comment to Ukrinform.

"The first such drones contracted by government are only now starting to arrive. This spring, we can say that the vast majority of units that use UAVs will have some minimum number of fiber-optic drones, and by the end of the summer we expect we will be able to ensure parity with the enemy in some frontline sectors," he said.

According to the commander, fundraising for their purchase has already been done out twice. The regiment is currently provided with FPV drones operated via a radio channel at the expense of government supplies, and drones with automatic homing (at a certain altitude they can lock on a target and approach it without manual piloting, are purchased independently.

 “We ask people to donate for some samples, because they have not yet been codified by government so we are not sure that they will be able to fulfill their task. Some manufacturers allow them to be tested for free because they are interested in testing products in combat conditions,” he explained.

According to the commander, the efficiency of using classic FPV is stably maintained at 30%.

“If three out of ten drones reach the target, this is considered a good result. There are areas where the efficiency is 60-70% (where enemy e-warfare resistance is moderate),” Captain Fedorenko noted.

According to the commander, Ukraine’s forces are currently learning to intercept enemy fiber-optic drones using small arms. “There are a number of projects that are being tested. It is expected that they will allow cutting fiber-optic cables, but testing will take some time,” he said.

As previously reported, National Guard spokesman Ruslan Muzychuk said Russian occupation forces at the front had increased the use of fiber-optic drones, particularly in urban areas.

Later, State Border Guard Service spokesman Andriy Demchenko reported that the Russians have begun to use more fiber-optic drones in the border areas, where artillery previously prevailed.

According to Forbes, Russian troops actively employed fiber-optic drones during the recent battles in Kursk region.