Dronobus Russia’s mothership UGV expanding the reach of fiber optic drones.

According to information published on Telegram on August 8, 2025, Russian defense engineers from the Scientific and Technical Center Kornei have unveiled the Dronobus, an advanced unmanned ground vehicle engineered to deliver and control unmanned aerial vehicles via a fiber optic cable control link. The system debuted during the “Unmanned Systems: Technologies of the Future” forum in Moscow, reflecting a strategic step by Russia to counter complex electronic warfare environments by preserving secure drone operations even in heavily jammed zones.
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The Russian Dronobus unmanned ground vehicle deploys and controls drones via a secure fiber optic link, ensuring jamming-immune operations while offering a 150 kg payload capacity for reconnaissance and resupply missions in contested environments (Picture source: Capture from Telegram).

The Dronobus serves as a mobile command platform capable of traveling either autonomously or under remote control for up to 10 kilometers while towing a drone powered and guided through a fiber optic tether. Once deployed, the drone can operate over a flight range of up to 15 kilometers while maintaining uninterrupted command and control through the physical link. The hardwired fiber optic connection ensures immunity from traditional radio frequency jammers and significantly lowers electromagnetic signature, improving stealth and resilience in contested areas.

Engineered for all-weather battlefield resilience, the system operates across a temperature spectrum of minus 20 to plus 40 degrees Celsius, enabling deployment across harsh climates and seasons. Additionally, the Dronobus’s payload capability of up to 150 kilograms allows it to fulfill secondary roles such as tactical resupply or transporting battlefield equipment alongside its primary drone deployment function.

From a technical standpoint, the Dronobus integrates both vehicle navigation and drone operations through fiber optic communication, avoiding radio frequencies entirely for guidance and video feed, a design driven by the demands of electromagnetic denial warfare. Fiber optic tethered drones themselves have been deployed in the current conflict, enabling hardwired real-time video and control links that remain unaffected by jamming. These drones typically carry fiber lengths between 5 and 20 kilometers, with some prototypes reaching up to 30 kilometers. The Russian system appears to use long-wavelength fiber to minimize signal loss, paired with digital cameras and high-power transmitters to achieve superior range and video clarity compared to earlier designs.

The main advantages of this approach include near-zero latency video, immunity to electronic warfare, undetectable control links, and stable operations across challenging environments such as urban areas, forests, and underground zones where radio systems may fail. Challenges include fiber drag, risk of entanglement, cable littering on the battlefield, limited maneuverability, and payload constraints. But one of the disadvantages of the Dronobus his non-fiber optic controle: if the launcher is jammed, the drone carried is also ineffective.

By integrating these drones into a mobile ground platform, the Dronobus addresses some of these limitations. The launch vehicle carries both the drone and its tether, deploying it from moving positions and minimizing exposure of fixed sites. This enhances survivability, speeds reaction times, and increases tactical flexibility for reconnaissance, precision targeting, or resupply missions in environments where electronic warfare is a constant threat.

During earlier operations in the war in Ukraine, fiber optic drones demonstrated their ability to disrupt enemy logistics and evacuation efforts. The Dronobus now represents the first known mobile launcher of this type, signaling a new chapter in unmanned warfare for Russia. The platform enables ground forces to retain drone capabilities even amidst saturation electronic warfare, laying the groundwork for agile, jamming-resistant operations that could complicate adversary countermeasures and reshape the deployment of unmanned systems in the electronic battlespace.

In the coming months, observation of fielding, operational testing, and adversary counter-adaptations will be key to assessing the full impact of this mobile fiber optic drone launcher on the battlefield.