The German company HIGHCAT will test their HCX reconnaissance drones in August to assess their operational suitability and resistance to Russian electronic warfare (EW) interference.
A recent report in Forbes highlighted the development of the fiber-optic controlled HCX drone which the manufacturers claim will be immune to jamming, detection and other EW attack because the cable provides a closed two-way communication channel so there are no radio emissions.
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The Konstanz based drone manufacturer HIGHCAT says they are reacting to reports that EW attacks by both sides during the war in Ukraine had eroded the initial success of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV – drones) by its ability to interrupt the control signal from the operators.
In its article, Forbes cites French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pierre Schill’s claim that as many as 75 percent of drones deployed in Ukraine are being taken down by EW countermeasures.
The HCX is a standard quadcopter that is fitted with a cassette that unrolls a fiber-optic cable that can support a high-bandwidth data link behind it as it flies. The weight of the reel containing 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) of cable is only 2.2 kilograms (4.8 pounds).
The currently used drone has a 5.5-kilogram (12-pound) payload capability, sufficient to lift a thermal imaging camera as well as a reasonable sized weapon.
In addition to preventing the effects of EW attack the HCX communication system has a 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps) data transfer rate which provides high-quality images to the operator.
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HIGHCAT claims the commercially secret construction of the cable combined with a patented a special winding technique prevents it from twisting and tangling during flight.
Jan Hartmann, co-founder of the company says, “The fiber is pretty strong – flying over trees and water is no problem. Flying in circles is also fine, and the drone can even fly backwards.”
Hartmann said that they wanted to create a system that was not only immune to enemy jamming but was cost effective, the latter being achieved by the maximum use of commercial off the shelf components (COTS).
The company says it will travel to Ukraine this month to work with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to test and assess its operational suitability, adding: “Should the units want to test it on the frontline, this is possible.”
A number of analysts have questioned the practicality of using fiber optics as the control system for drones over the ranges needed to make them worthwhile. His views were based on previous unsuccessful research by organizations such as the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
However, North Korea’s Bulsae-4 ATGM system, which has recently appeared in Ukraine, uses an apparently successful 25-kilometer (15-mile) fiber-optic control cable.
Assuming the tests in Ukraine go well HIGHCAT will begin mass production of HCX drones in partnership with another German electronics and drone manufacturer - ODM GmbH - in November, aiming to produce around 3,000 units per month.
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