‘Madiar’s Birds’ Find Key to Defeating Russia’s ‘Invulnerable’ Fiber-Optic FPV Drones

On Tuesday, Robert Brovdi posted a video on his Telegram channel that he said showed how his unit used a mobile radar system to detect an incoming Russian fiber-optic controlled first-person view (FPV) drone and was able to guide one of the battalion’s kamikaze drones to intercept and destroy the enemy UAV several kilometers away from its intended target.

Robert Brovdi is the founder and commander of Ukraine’s 414th unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Strike Battalion nicknamed “Madiar’s Birds” after his call sign.

The Russian drone in the video appears to be the so-called “Prince Vandal of Novgorod” UAV, recognizable by the large rear-mounted fiber-optic cable drum carrying a shaped charge warhead from a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), a favorite payload for FPV drones on both sides. The size of the drum indicates it might be the longer range (10-kilometer, 6.25-mile) version.

Since their first appearance towards the end of 2024 these “tethered” drones have been touted as the ultimate development in battlefield FPV attack drones.

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While the trailing cable imposes some restrictions on the UAV’s range and maneuverability it offers much higher quality and stable imagery and, most importantly, is virtually impervious to battlefield electronic warfare systems. In addition, because they do not rely on radio signals to control them or transmit video signals back to their base, they are unseen by current UAV detectors.

Brovdi said that for the first time, his birds had the tools to identify, detect and destroy enemy drones which the brigade was already using.

“The army must quickly and massively equip mobile versions of radar every 2-4 kilometers [ 1.2-2.5 miles] along the front line allowing conventional FPV fighters to destroy enemy FPVs on fiber optics intercepted by mobile radar,” he said.

Brovdi did not specify what kind of mobile radar his unit is using. The military issues website The War Zone suggested it might be a microwave radar system whose wavelength is likely best suited to spot relatively small, slow-moving drones. However, the drawback of such systems is that they have limited range resulting in limited early warning of the drone’s approach.

However, if such radars are pushed as far forward as possible and in the density of deployment Brovdi advocates, the likelihood of spotting the incoming FPV drone, getting a fix on it, and rapidly deploying a counter-UAV drone then the supremacy of the fiber-optic controlled attack drone on the Ukrainian battlefield may be greatly limited if not fully over.