Fiber-optic Guided Drone (or Tethered Drone) is a drone system that connects to ground control stations via Fiber Optic cables, offering the flexibility of drones and the benefits of fiber communication/power, but with some limitations. The following is an analysis of its advantages and disadvantages:
advantage
Continuous power supply, unlimited battery life
Real-time power supply via fiber optic cables, free from battery limitations, can hover for a long time (such as more than 72 hours), suitable for persistent monitoring tasks (such as border patrol, base station monitoring).
High bandwidth, anti-interference communication
Optical fiber transmission data bandwidth is very high (up to Tbps level), suitable for high-definition video, radar data back, and is not affected by electromagnetic interference or signal hijacking, and strong security.
Low latency and high reliability
Optical fiber communication latency is extremely low (millisecond level), better than wireless links, suitable for real-time control (such as military reconnaissance, precision strikes).
Strong concealment
No radio frequency signal transmission, difficult to be detected by enemy electronic detection equipment, suitable for covert operations or electronic warfare environment.
Structure simplification
No need for large-capacity batteries or complex wireless communication modules, reducing body weight and cost.
shortcoming
Limited range of motion
Constrained by the length of the fiber optic cable (usually 100-300 meters), the maneuverability is much lower than that of wireless drones, which cannot perform long-range missions.
Cable Management and Risk
The cable is easily wound, broken or intercepted by the enemy, and it is difficult to deploy in complex terrain (such as jungle and city); The drone could lose control after it breaks.
High deployment complexity
Need to be equipped with special ground power supply/communication equipment, mobile deployment speed is slow (such as vehicle system needs stable parking).
Weak wind resistance
The cable will increase the flight resistance of the UAV, and the stability is poor in a strong wind environment, which may cause a crash.
Cost and maintenance
Special fiber cables, such as lightweight tensile cables, are costly and require regular replacement of worn cables.
Typical application scenario
Military field: persistent front-line reconnaissance, electronic warfare support, ship-borne air defense monitoring.
Security monitoring: 24-hour inspection of important facilities (nuclear power plants, airports).
Emergency communication: temporary base station relay in disaster areas (fiber optic replacement of damaged wireless network).
Direction of technological improvement
Lightweight composite cable: improve tensile strength, reduce weight (such as carbon fiber wrapped fiber).
Automatic take-up and pay-off system: the drone can automatically adjust the cable length (such as the Israeli “SkyTether”).
Hybrid design: fiber optic power supply + backup battery for emergency case of cable breakage.
Fiber optic UAVs have significant advantages in specific scenarios, but need to balance mobility and mission requirements, and will be used for high-security missions in fixed areas in the future or more.
