Ukraine introduces a universal ground control station for fibre-optic drones

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence is deploying a universal ground control station for fibre-optic drones across the Armed Forces. This was announced by Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. According to him, the project is led by the minister’s advisor on UAV efficiency, Serhii Sternenko.

Fedorov said that unified technical requirements for analogue ground control stations have already been established. As part of the project led by Sternenko, a prototype has been developed that is close to serial production. “This week, we are delivering the stations to units for combat testing,” Fedorov wrote.

What problem does the universal station solve

The minister noted that fibre-optic drones are currently one of the key tools for striking the enemy. “However, every operator working with fibre-optic drones faces the same issue — a ‘zoo’ of different ground control stations used to launch UAVs,” he said. “Dozens of different solutions from various manufacturers are being used simultaneously on the frontline.”

As a result, when deploying to positions, drone operators are forced to carry three to five different systems. This creates an additional burden and reduces the time available to carry out combat missions.

Fedorov added that Sternenko has been working with manufacturers for several months to address this critical issue. The effort began with the development of a universal analogue station, as these are currently the most widespread and form the backbone of frontline operations.

The next stage will be the development of a unified digital fibre-optic control system and its масштабування across the entire frontline.