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As the Israel-Lebanon war continues, Hezbollah has chosen to use fibre-optic drones to get a high-resolution view of the target without emitting any signal that could be jammed.
The drones are “immune to communication jamming, and in the absence of an electronic signature, it is also impossible to discover the location from which they were launched,” CNN quoted Yehoshua Kalisky, a senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies. It is because these drones do not have wireless signal controlling them but instead are controlled by its operator.
CNN quoted an Israeli military source saying that because fibre optic cables are so thin and light – virtually invisible to the naked eye – the cable can stretch for up to 15 kilometres)
or more. This allows the operator to remain a safe distance away while the drone feeds him a crystal-clear, first-person image of the target.
According to CNN, Hezbollah has released a video stating that the quadcopter drone, weighing no more than a few kilograms, hits its target as the Israeli soldiers appear to be completely unaware of its approach. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reported that the attack killed 19-year-old Sgt. Idan Fooks and injured several others.
With Hezbollah using these drones, the IDF, which has been relying on technological advantage to counter drone warfare by jamming signals and frequencies, will be unable to electronically interfere.
“Beyond physical barriers like nets, there is little that can be done,” the Israeli military source said. “It’s a low-tech system adapted for asymmetric warfare.”
According to CNN, fibre-optic drones first appeared in large numbers on the battlefield in Ukraine, where Russian forces used them with great effect, extending their range even further.
“This is a capable system that, in the right hands with an experienced operator against a force that’s not expecting such a drone to attack, it can be quite effective,” said Samuel Bendett, an adjunct senior fellow with the Center for New American Security. “Even against a force that knows about this and is taking precautions, it can still be deadly.”
