The Ministry of Defense has approved for use over 80 new domestic UAV systems with fiber-optic control channels in the Armed Forces this year. Additionally, more than 25 Ukrainian interceptor drones have been deployed to units, many designed to target Russian strike drones.
“The Ministry of Defense is focusing more resources on developing and producing effective weapons that are critically needed today, including fiber-optic UAVs and interceptor drones against enemy reconnaissance and strike UAVs,” said First Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk.
A priority is also scaling up production of the most effective systems. Fiber-optic channels provide fully secure control and video transmission, protected from electronic warfare.
Ukrainian fiber-optic UAVs come in various designs, carry different payloads, and can engage Russian targets at different depths of the front. Mass production and deployment of these UAVs began in 2025
