Ukraine's new radar strategy battles Russian fiber drones

The Ukrainian unit "Madziar's Birds," specializing in drone warfare, appears to have found a solution to the dangerous drones controlled via deployable fiber optic cables. Both Russians and Ukrainians use these drones, commonly known as Vandal, which pose a significant problem for Ukrainians, even threatening well-protected Western machines like the Marder 1A3 and the M1A1 Abrams tanks.

According to The Warzone, the solution developed by Robert Brovdi, also known as "Madziar," involves mobile radars capable of detecting drones from several miles away, giving the target time to prepare.

Drones in Ukraine have become a symbol of the war, effectively destroying vast amounts of military equipment using outdated weapons. Examples include PG-7VL grenades or PGN rifle grenades, which are inadequate for penetrating the frontal armor of modern tanks.

Currently, these weapons are only effective when hitting weak spots, such as the roof or sides, which is challenging under normal conditions. Drones offer the necessary precision with relatively low risk to the operating soldier.

Due to the use of radio signals, both sides began deploying jammers en masse, leading to a frequency war between drone pilots and jammer operators. This resulted in periods of total dominance by drone operators, as well as times of complete powerlessness for them during the war.

Moreover, radio communications allowed the enemy to locate drones based on radio emissions or even intercept camera footage using online gadgets.

This situation led to the search for solutions providing resistance against jammers with a range from a few dozen to several hundred yards.

The solution turned out to be drones carrying out attacks fully autonomously over long distances using systems that allow for the use of artificial intelligence for "machine vision" and tracking a selected object. Alternatively, they connect the drone via a wired connection to the control station.

Although autonomous drones equip Ukraine, they are expensive due to lack of sanctions, containing components like Google Coral developer boards. The second option is simpler, involving the use of known methods from anti-tank guided missiles, namely deployable fiber optic cables.

The downside is the limited range, which depends on the size of the deployable spool. The standard is about 6 miles, but there are designs with ranges up to 25 miles, as Madziar showcased in one recording. However, the spool with the fiber optic cable occupies payload space that could be used for a heavier warhead or larger battery.

A drone controlled in this manner cannot be jammed and is completely passive, making radio emission detectors ineffective. Such drones can fly low without fear of signal loss, and locating the pilots' position becomes much more challenging. This makes fiber optic drones highly dangerous, and essentially, the only form of defense against them is their physical elimination.

Madziar developed a portable radar, likely optimized to operate in the Ku-band, similar to current anti-drone radars detecting slow-moving objects over several miles. The strategy involves covering the front line with radars every 3 miles and synchronizing their operators with drone pilots to respond to threats.

Madziar released footage of a detected Russian drone being shot down by his own FPV drone. However, a hunter drone like the Winchester would be more suitable here. Additionally, vehicles equipped with programmable ammunition, usually of 1.2 inches, could protect tanks during attacks, a focus for many NATO countries.

Ukrainians do not have such capabilities and must make do with what they have. However, there are instances of drones being shot down by combat vehicles like the M2A2 Bradley. Alternatively, the last line of defense remains soldiers in trenches armed with less conventional weapons like Smart Shooter's SMASH modules or more commonly with standard 12-gauge shotguns used for activities like skeet shooting.