Ukraine rolled out the Chaharnyk system to defend against fibre-guided attack drones. This system operates by using an acoustic sensor to detect drones and then activating a motorized wire fence to sever fibre-optic cables.
The Chaharnyk system arrives in two 50-metre sections and requires only two people to set up in under an hour. The system claims a 95 per cent success rate when cutting the cable of any drone flying overhead.
Roy Gardiner, Intel Director at the group Defense Tech for Ukraine, stated that the most reliable defences against fibre-optic FPVs are passive barrier systems like net tunnels installed over key roads. Currently, hundreds of kilometres of roads across Ukraine are covered with physical net tunnels designed to either catch drones or force them to explode early.
While Russia produced few fibre-guided drones in 2024, 20-kilometre-range versions are now common, and 50-kilometre models have also appeared. Estimates suggest that approximately 60 per cent of Russian FPV attack drones now incorporate fibre guidance.
