00:00Zoning in on the target.
00:03In buildings and out in the open.
00:06Fiber optic drones are the latest drone development in the arms race between Ukraine and Russia.
00:12Connected to its operator via a thin fiber optic cable, they were first introduced by
00:17the Russians a year ago in the Korsk region.
00:21Now Azov and other Ukrainian brigades are flying them too.
00:28There are clear advantages over radio control drones.
00:32If a radio drone flies over hills or tries to land there, both video and control disappear.
00:43This drone will keep showing the pictures, no matter what the terrain or vegetation are
00:48like.
00:53Radio drones can also be jammed, and their video signal can be monitored by the enemy.
00:57The fiber optic cable drones are regarded as safe.
01:02So far.
01:03But they too have a weak point.
01:06So this is the essence of these drones, this is the fiber optic cable.
01:10It's very hard to spot, extremely durable, like fishing line.
01:14But if it gets stuck somewhere, in a tree for example, and twisted, it could snap.
01:20And the drone loses its connection.
01:25And on a sunny day like this, another disadvantage becomes visible.
01:32When the cable is caught in the trees for example, or in weeds in the field, that is not right
01:37next to the ground, then it's clearly visible in sunlight, especially at dawn or at sunset.
01:45That can lead straight back to the operator.
01:48This footage shows what can happen.
01:50A Ukrainian unit was operating drones from a basement before their location was compromised.
01:57The Russians attacked.
01:58But no one was hurt.
02:01Drone pilots like Bolt know they're valuable targets.
02:04His brigade too started using fiber optic drones a few months ago.
02:10There is also various ammunition.
02:13This is for a tank, Kamul PG-7.
02:17There are various spools with cable.
02:20Right now we're using this small spool because we don't have to fly that far, 10 kilometers.
02:27Setting them up takes more time than radio drones.
02:30It means more work.
02:33What their use has given commanders a fresh look at the battlefield.
02:39When we started using drones on fiber optics more massively, we found quite interesting points.
02:45There were machine gun nests, there were ammunition depots, there were motorcycles that we didn't
02:49expect to see there, but they were really close.
02:56Automatic drones can also fly in two structures, making the dangerous job of searching buildings
03:01like this school obsolete.
03:05And we flew in, flew straight down the corridor between different offices.
03:10And you fly in like that and there on the walls, the flag of Ukraine, some bunnies painted, bears.
03:18A regular drone wouldn't have revealed how the school is used today.
03:23It takes a little bit of your soul with the enemy sitting in this school.
03:29Few innovations have transformed the war between Russia and Ukraine as dramatically as drones,
03:35which now serve many purposes.
03:37At a command post here in the Kharkiv region, the orders are given to fend off a Russian attack.
03:44He's running, running, running. Let's kill that guy on the motorcycle. We'll take him out. Kill that guy on the motorcycle.
03:53Soldiers on motorbikes are attempting to break through the Ukrainian line of defense.
03:58Small, fast-moving assault groups have replaced large armored attacks in an attempt to avoid detection.
04:07They're hunted down with kamikaze drones and heavy bombers.
04:14Technology is forcing both sides to adapt.
04:19Our goal is to destroy the enemy. For this, we need to use everything.
04:24We need to be ahead of the enemy in development, to prevail in the latest technologies, to update faster
04:30and invent something new, to have a tactical advantage.
04:35The fiber-optic drones are just the latest innovation on the battlefield.
04:40They won't be the last.
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