Fibre-optic drone with 65-kilometre cable: Ushkuynik reports record range for “Prince Vandal”

One of the most effective Russian first-person view (FPV) drones is the fibre-optic drone “Prince Vandal of Novgorod”, an FPV kamikaze drone. Its developer and manufacturer, the “Ushkuynik Scientific and Production Centre”, has presented a comprehensive upgrade after 18 months at the front and announced a new record range.

According to Director General Alexei Chadayev, only the characteristic square GRP frame remains of the original Prince Vandal. The biggest change is the spool from which the fibre-optic cable unwinds: it is now cast and much more robust, whereas its predecessor was 3D-printed. Chadayev says the cast spool has significantly improved failure and breakage statistics.

What the upgraded fibre-optic drone can do

New are an electronic target sensor and a remote detonation function for the warhead, allowing the drone to be used as an “ambush” system. The fibre-optic version's efficiency is estimated at 28 per cent, almost double that of radio-controlled FPV drones. In other words, slightly more than one in four drones hits its target.

All drone electronics also sit on a single circuit board developed by Ushkuynik. According to Chadayev, this drastically reduces production costs, among other things.

Ushkuynik says it can produce up to 50,000 “Prince Vandal” per month. That production is currently being expanded in several Russian regions also suggests Russia is ramping up arms production in a far more centralised way than comparable capacities in the West.

In an overall assessment, the developer puts the damage drones of this type have allegedly inflicted on the Ukrainian armed forces over their entire service at hundreds of billions of roubles – many times the production costs.

The fibre-optic FPV drone “Prince Vandal of Novgorod” works together with the reconnaissance drone “Prince Oleg the Prophet”, which provides images from higher altitude to help the FPV pilot navigate close to the ground.

In the long run, however, Chadayev does not consider a range of 50 kilometres sensible. A different approach is therefore being pursued in parallel: an airborne carrier with a radio link is to bring the drone to a suitable launch point, from where “Prince Vandal” takes off and can operate in zones with heavy radio interference.

Chadayev also held out the prospect of “unexpected solutions” for surface and underwater drones. They are to be used in special operations from 2026.