Drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), are being fired in swarms in the Russia-Ukraine war and the barrages are now more intense than ever. Both sides are relying heavily on drones for attacks, surveillance and defence. This has made the conflict even more dangerous and unpredictable. Drones are now changing the way battles are fought. These drones are connected to the ground with fibre-optic cables, making them much more difficult to jam, or disrupt, using electronic attacks or GPS interference.

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First-Person View (FPV) kamikaze drones are equipped with a spool—a wound coil of cable—of optical fibre that, sometimes, extends over 10 kilometres. FPV technology allows operators to monitor a real-time video feed as if they were inside the drone. By transmitting footage through the fibre-optic cable instead of relying on GPS or radio signals, these drones can accurately locate, and strike, targets while avoiding electronic interference.

Kamikaze drones are small, unmanned aircraft packed with explosives that fly directly into targets to destroy them. They are like guided missiles with wings, controlled remotely, or programmed to hit enemy vehicles, buildings, or troops, sacrificing themselves in the attack. These drones have a dual guidance system that uses both radio signals and fibre-optic cables, which help them stay under control even if the enemy tries to block their radio signals.

The only real challenge comes from physical obstacles, such as trees or bushes, but, in ground war situation, this rarely causes problems. The fibre-optic cable is usually long and flexible enough to avoid being cut.

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World’s eyes turn to China

As drone warfare evolves, the world is once again focussing on China. Chinese companies dominate the drone industry, making up 80% of the global civilian drone market, according to Interesting Engineering. Over the past two years, China has been making it harder to export certain drone parts that could be used for both civilian and military purposes. The goal is to stop these parts from ending up in war zones, especially in Ukraine.

In July 2024, China introduced new rules to limit drone exports, blocking sales for military purposes. The government also stated that it did not provide weapons to any side in the conflict, according to a Bloomberg report. On August 1, 2023, China said it would restrict export of certain drone-related parts, including special motors, important equipment, radio communication devices and civilian technology used to block drones.

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China also put a temporary two-year ban on exporting some consumer drones. At the same time, it completely banned the sale of any civilian drones for military use. The latest ban on drone exports has affected Ukraine significantly. Earlier, Ukraine used affordable parts from China to build low-cost kamikaze drones.

The steady supply of parts from China had helped Ukraine fight against a much stronger opponent. It had also allowed Ukraine to stretch its limited resources, making it possible to keep fighting for a longer time. As China enforces stricter rules, Ukraine now has to look for other suppliers.

Challenges of ban on exports

China has introduced new export rules that ban the sale of certain high-tech drone equipment. This includes infrared cameras, radar systems, laser-targeting devices and advanced motion sensors. For instance, China now restricts the export of infrared cameras that detect light in the 780-30,000 nanometre range and have a very precise focus of less than 2.5 milliradians. Selling these devices abroad requires special approval.

Infrared cameras work by detecting heat instead of visible light. A range of 780-30,000 nanometres refers to the type of heat energy they can sense. Their precision is measured in milliradians (mrad), a unit used to describe angles in optics and targeting systems. An mrad is a unit of angular measurement equal to 1/1,000th of a radian, which is a unit of measurement of angles equal to about 57.3°.

A camera with a focus of less than 2.5 mrads can capture very fine details, making it highly effective for surveillance and targeting. To put this into perspective, if the camera is looking at an object 1 kilometre (1,000 metres) away, it can distinguish details as small as 2.5 metres wide. The lower the mrad value, the sharper, and more accurate, the image. Because of this high level of precision, these cameras are widely used in military operations, surveillance and scientific research.

> Laser designators used for targeting may be restricted if they meet specific conditions. For instance, they may be banned if they can function above temperatures hotter than 55°C (131°F), since high-temperature capability may make it suitable for use in extreme environments, such as deserts or other hot locations. 

> They may also be banned if they produce more than 80 millijoules of energy (millijoule, or mJ, being a unit of energy). If the laser emits more than 80 mJ in its beam, it is considered very powerful. High energy output makes the laser more effective, but also potentially more dangerous, or restricted.

> Another reason for a ban is if a laser designator has a stability margin of within 15% (where stability margin refers to how consistent the laser output is). If the stability margin stays within 15% of its intended power level, it is considered fairly stable. For instance, if the laser is designed to output 100 mJ, it should stay between 85 mJ and 115 mJ to meet this standard.

> This ban could also apply to a beam divergence angle of under 0.3 mrad. Beam divergence is how much the laser beam spreads out as it travels. A small divergence angle (0.3 mrads) means the beam stays narrow and focussed over long distances, making it more precise for targeting.

> Yet another reason for a ban on a laser designator is a lack of temperature control. If the device does not have a system to control its internal temperature, it could overheat, or become unstable in performance. Temperature control ensures the laser works reliably, regardless of external conditions.

These lasers play an important role in helping drones and artillery hit their targets accurately. In summary, these criteria describe a laser designator that can handle tough environments, has no temperature safeguards, is very powerful, maintains consistent output and is highly accurate over long distances.

Rules have limited the supply of military drone parts to war zones. Some experts say China is increasing its drone export restrictions to stop its technology from being used as weapons and to avoid conflicts with Western countries.

Breaking down the barriers

In reality, stopping advancements in drone warfare through export bans or stricter rules is tough. There are two main problems:

> First, rules cannot keep up with how quickly new technology is being developed
> Second, as long as there is demand, suppliers will find a way to meet it. Many drone parts, such as fibre-optics, are made from everyday materials. This makes them almost impossible to regulate

Fibre-optics are highly sought after because they offer faster data speeds and clearer video quality compared to traditional wireless networks. They change light signals into electrical and digital information, helping drones send high-quality video (1080p at 60 frames/second) in real time with very little delay.

Russia, Ukraine and other countries can make, or get fibre-optics. If China tightens restrictions, suppliers from the US or South Korea could still provide them.

A quick look on Taobao, one of China’s top online shopping sites, shows many listings for drone fibre-optic storage boxes. They come in different ranges—including 5km, 10km, 15km and even 20km options. These cylindrical products are light and easy to carry. The 20km spool weighs about 2.2kg, while the 5km version is much lighter at just 0.65kg. Because they are lightweight, they barely affect the flight range or carrying capacity of FPV drones. As for the price, they start around 1,960 RMB ($270) and go up to 4,260 RMB ($590).

AI-powered precision drones

In addition to fibre-optic FPV drones, AI-driven auto-targeting systems are also being used in reconnaissance and attack drones on Ukraine’s battlefield. A Chinese startup, Littro Innovations, has created a tracking module for drones that uses infrared and AI. It processes video from the drone’s camera, allowing it to spot, recognize and follow targets in real time.

The Tofu 3 module, which uses edge computing, can spot moving objects as tiny as 1.5 pixels (the size of one dot on screen). With deep learning, it can also identify drones if they are at least 3 pixels in thermal imaging or 10 pixels (the size of 10 dots on screen) in regular camera footage.

Once a target is detected, the module automatically takes over tracking, adjusts the gimbal servo (a motorised mechanism that stabilises and positions the camera), and controls the zoom without needing any manual input from the operator. If the target is lost due to an obstacle, the system has several ways to recover, and resume, tracking. When there are multiple targets, the operator can tap on the screen to choose one. Once selected, the system will track that target automatically.

AI tracking modules such as these can easily be found on Taobao, costing around 1,300 RMB to 1,500 RMB ($180-$207). Buying in bulk lowers the price even more, making it easier to deploy large groups of drones. In theory, these AI-powered FPV drones can compete with precision-guided missiles, which usually cost tens—or even hundreds of thousands—of dollars, while these drones cost only a few thousand RMB.

The long battle of endurance

For both Russia and Ukraine, acquiring, and using, these low-cost weapons could keep the war going indefinitely if they can train enough skilled FPV drone pilots and deploy them in battle. China has not restricted the export of fibre-optics, or AI tracking modules yet. Since these technologies have both civilian and military uses, it is hard to tell if they will be used in war zones. This makes it much harder to enforce stricter rules on exporting drones in future.

Chinese companies that produce parts for kamikaze drones often find ways around the restrictions by labelling them ‘components for regular consumer drones’.

Drone technology keeps improving. When electronic warfare and GPS jamming caused drones to fail during the early stages of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, such new options as fibre-optic drones and AI-powered tracking drones were quickly developed. This shows how quickly new innovations can outpace efforts to control the spread of technology.

China’s drone industry, especially in the tech hub of Shenzhen, is so large and advanced that, if one company is blocked, another quickly steps in with an alternative—sometimes, an even better one. Some people in China jokingly call the Russia-Ukraine drone war an “internal Shenzhen war” because the two main tech areas in the city, Bao’an and Nanshan, both play a big role in supplying drones.

Who would have imagined that ordinary products made in small factories and sold online could end up influencing a war so far away? Yet, that is exactly what is happening.

It is not clear if China truly wants to prevent drone technology from reaching the militaries of Russia and Ukraine, although reports suggest more is going to Russia. Until then, deadly attacks from the air will, possibly, continue to be a tragic ingredient of the war.

(The author of this article is an award-winning Science Writer and a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: [email protected])

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)