INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Eyes locked on the screen of his joystick, he pays no attention to the torrential rain lashing his face in heavy gusts.Barely audible over
the wind, the sound of a drone can be heard
Around his face, tangled in his hair, a long thread barely visible to the naked eye gently coils around him
On the ground, it disappears into the grass, snagged in bushes, trees and weeds all around.Tchornim, an engineer at the miltech company
Technohawk, is field-testing for the first time the Shtorm, their new fiber-optic drone.This new generation of drones, Tchornim explains, is
revolutionizing the battlefield.In 2024, in response to the growing drone threat, both warring parties invested heavily in electronic
RocheOriginally from eastern Ukraine and a graduate in aerospace engineering, Makhitko does not hide his concern about this new
technology.Ukraine, long a pioneer in drone warfare, now finds itself outpaced by a Russian innovation.Used on a large scale during Russia's
counteroffensive against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, this technology helps explain Moscow's recent successes against Kyiv's troops
in that part of the front, analysts say.Since then, the Russian drone units deployed in Kursk have been reassigned to the Pokrovsk front,
logistics between cities in the Donbas.Technological lag and initial responsesFaced with the technological rise of the Russian army, Ukraine
is trying to close the gap
On the ground, units are improvising.In Pokrovsk, Captain Ihor Matviyishyn gives a blunt assessment: for now, no centralized production of
fiber-optic drones has been implemented by the authorities in Kyiv.The only fiber-optic drones we see on our side are built by the units
Only certain formations like Azov, Magyar or Achilles have them.Volodymyr Makhitko, chief engineer at TechnoHawk, is performing final checks
before the test flight of the new fiber-optic drone.Joseph RocheIn his workshop on the outskirts of Kyiv, Makhitko expresses cautious
He believes catching up is possible
From a technical standpoint, the challenge is not insurmountable.These drones are not a technological feat, says Technohawk CEO Viktor
issue, not the design.Nevertheless, Zubenko points out that Ukrainian drones are generally of higher quality and hit their targets 80% of
The Russians, by comparison, only hit one in four.Ukraine already has a well-established FPV ecosystem
mostly produced in China.For now, fiber-optic spools are available on AliExpress, but the dependence on Chinese parts is becoming
increasingly problematic.Ukrainian manufacturers are therefore seeking to diversify their supplies, in a context where China is showing more
and more support for Moscow, especially since Bloomberg reported that Beijing had ended drone exports to Ukraine and its allies while
February: the Silkworm, a locally designed modular fiber-optic spool
technology has allowed Russia to regain the upper hand in the drone war, typically dominated by the Ukrainians, the fiber-optic drone is not
Makhitko has identified four.First, the drone, equipped with a large canister that holds the fiber-optic cable unspooled during flight, is
easily spotted on the battlefield
With a good shotgun, it can be easily shot down, explains Tchornim, the engineer.Next, because of the canister, which can weigh up to 5
difficult to maneuver than a small FPV drone, Zubenko insists.The test flight of the new fiber-optic drone.Joseph RocheFinally, Makhitko
says, the bundle of fiber-optic cables connecting some drones to their operator can make them easier to locate
Once detected, they become targets for counter-battery fire, forcing units to relocate frequently and reducing their effectiveness in the
field.Moreover, this type of drone is poorly suited to the wooded environs of Donbas, Kharkiv or Sumy, he continues
In the underbrush, the cable easily gets tangled in branches, and the fiber snaps like straw at the wrong angle
