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Russia develops system to counter fiber-optic drones

According to the patent description, during a large-scale attack, the system can activate a "wall of fire" extending tens of kilometers

MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. A system for protecting military, strategic, and industrial facilities from drones that disables their fiber-optic control cables through thermal action has been patented in Russia, according to a document obtained by TASS.

According to the patent description, during a large-scale attack, the system can activate a "wall of fire" extending tens of kilometers.

"The group of inventions relates to a system and method for actively countering unmanned aerial vehicles controlled via non-metallic communications (fiber-optic cables – TASS). The system comprises at least one elongated heating element made of an electrically conductive material with high electrical resistivity, a power source connected to the heating element, and a control unit," the patent document states.

Heating elements are mounted on fixed or mobile supports and are made of wire, tape, mesh, or rods of nichrome (a nickel-chromium alloy) or fechral (an iron-chromium-aluminum alloy). The diameter or equivalent thickness of the heating element ranges between 0.2 and 10 mm.

According to the invention, upon receiving a signal indicating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) approaching the protected perimeter, the control unit activates the corresponding segment of the heating element, which heats to temperatures of 700-1,300°C within 10-60 seconds. The system can operate in automatic mode – based on detection signals and preset programs – or in manual mode via remote control.

"When the fiber-optic cable comes into contact with the heated element, the polymer coating is destroyed, microcracks form in the quartz fiber, or it melts, resulting in an immediate loss of communication between the drone and the operator," the authors noted. Among the advantages, they cite "standby passivity, invisibility until activation, scalability and modular design, and compatibility with existing detection and control systems."

The patent outlines several configurations: an autonomous protection version using a 5-meter barrier of four parallel nichrome wires; a perimeter defense version for industrial facilities using 50 twenty-meter segments, where detection systems identify impact points and activate the required sections; and a strategic defense version for extended perimeters using multiple transformer substations and thousands of segments controlled from a central command post, where a "wall of fire" can be activated over tens of kilometers to repel large-scale drone attacks.

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