A new clip purportedly shows a tank and an SUV being hit despite their jamming antennae
New first-person-view (FPV) footage shows Russian fiber optic-guided drones hunting Ukrainian vehicles protected by electronic warfare antennae near the Kursk Region border.
Russian frontline journalist Evgeny Poddubny posted the clip on his Telegram channel on Sunday; it presumably shows the work of the Russian 40th Separate Guards Marine Brigade drone pilots, of the ‘North’ group of forces.
In the first part of the video, a suicide FPV drone can be seen chasing down a Ukrainian tank and striking the top rear section of its hull, despite several anti-drone measures.
Several electronic warfare antennas can be seen poking through the top of the anti-drone slat armor welded onto the top of the tank. The drone catches up to the speeding and zigzagging tank and hits it in the roof of the hull, where armor is typically thinner than most other areas.
In the second part of the clip, another FPV drone can be seen diving down at a parked SUV, hitting it on the roof. Several sets of electronic warfare antennae can be seen sticking up from the top of the vehicle.
Fiber optic-guided drones have seen more frequent use in recent months, after first being deployed by Russian forces last summer. Footage from these drones is characterized by their slightly slower speeds and excellent picture quality, unaffected by the pervasive jamming used by both sides of the conflict.
These types of drones are entirely immune to electronic warfare, as they maintain a direct link with the pilot via a fiber optic cable, unlike their jamming-vulnerable radio-controlled counterparts. The downside of the fiber optic-controlled UAVs is that they are bulkier, having to carry a bobbin with the cable, and therefore less agile.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, as of Sunday, Ukraine has witnessed more than 61,000 troop casualties in the Kursk Region since Kiev’s forces first began their push in August of last year. In addition, Ukraine has lost more than 365 tanks, 48 multiple launch rocket systems (including 13 HIMARS and six other US-made MLRS), six anti-aircraft units, as well as hundreds of other heavy vehicles, according to the ministry.
