A Ukrainian drone pilot shoots down a Russian fiber-optic FPV quad with a net thrower.

Aug 7, 2026 1:06 AM

CheeseBalls

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368

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Good work.

3 weeks ago | Likes 37 Dislikes 0

Scooby-Doo warfare

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 3

3 weeks ago | Likes 16 Dislikes 0

Staaaaaaaar Wars, nothing but Star Wars... 🎶

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

3 weeks ago | Likes 25 Dislikes 0

That tiny net was sure-fire, master!

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

A tiny net is a death sentence! It is a net, and it is tiny!

3 weeks ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Getting real close to running out of power at that volts per cell number. I imagine they run Li-ion instead of Lipo packs.

3 weeks ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 3

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I'm curious how this compares to the success rate of the "tactical string on a stick"

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I assume you mean just get above and slightly in front and drop a string into the props? I was thinking that, and realized you'd need to get in front, which means the other pilot is more likely to see you. Second, you'd need to switch to a down-facing camera, which would switch your piloting just as it becomes most critical.

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

russian drone pilot, go fuck yourself!

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

Spider fly, spider fly . Shoots a web, into the sky.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Brand new day

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Begun the drone wars had...

3 weeks ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Boomoh turns in to Okeyoh after firing the net...?

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I think they are just cutting the fibre

3 weeks ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 3

They are cutting the fibre, but not in this video.

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

Looks more like it just tangles around the props and weighs it down

3 weeks ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

I'll assume this is a better approach than simply cutting the wire, but can anyone explain why? Is this easier than 1-2 pizza wheels crashing through the fiber?

3 weeks ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

If the drone loses connection, it will probably turn around and fly back to base to be used again. If captured then you've got spare parts.

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

For one thing, this would also work on non-fibre drones.

3 weeks ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

The fiber doesn't always exit at a predictable angle, it depends on speed, wind and the angle it's pulled out of the cannister. Also it wouldn't be reliably visible on the FPV video feed so you would be hunting in the dark.
Also, not actually sure how strong that fiber is, but if it's strong enough to start winding up on your props it could kill the hunter drone as well while a net thrower can be re-used.

3 weeks ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

So this "thing" runs on a big ass extension cord? Seriously? How long is that fiber optic wire? Even at tiny diameter that must began to weigh substantially after a decent distance.

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Well, I am now rooting for a Trapper straight from Darktide.

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The amount of fibre that must be strewn around Ukraine...

3 weeks ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

absolutely insane amounts https://youtu.be/c0LvmhL31ko

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

It's like NYC with all of Spider-Man's webs hanging all over.

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

i sometimes browse Aliexpress for gadgets and presents and recently I've seen little plastic boxes of up to 5 kilometres of fibre (plastic fibre feeding boxes to fit on drones). It's odd to see, what is essentially military supplies, on such a commerce site.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Will be showing up in the food supply for decades.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I'd be more concerned about the bomblets and mines, but yeah. It'll be decades of clean-up.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Spiderman tactic. hehe
If it makes it to the grund without damage, it can be useful, If the net also has a long orange line to mark its location on the ground, it can be found easy. Or the net contains a tracker.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

I would think that cutting some wires to the antenna, the fiber and to the detonator is enough. And most of the explosives are known designs. But there may be booby traps in them. It should not be a problem for an armored disarmament robot with long arms. When the explosive is detached from the robot, driven away and placed behind/under sandbags or under/in an armored barrel, then it should be fine. But if it is uncertain, they should be detonated on site.

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I am pretty sure nobody is going to recover that drone. That would be like suicide mission.

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Have a robot do it *modern_solutions.jpg*

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

the explosives must be neutralized. There are dozens of good methods to neutralize them.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

This is such a weird war.

3 weeks ago | Likes 223 Dislikes 0

No, it's a very normal war. It's just the first of its kind.

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

It's honestly becoming videogames with real world consequences.

3 weeks ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

They said the same thing in operation desert storm

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

It's so weird how many things can be defeated by the bronze age. Drones? Fishing net. Barbed wire/electric fence? Rug. Tank? Hole.

3 weeks ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Drones produced cheaply and in huge numbers. Armored vehicles of any type are now virtually useless on the battlefield. Defensive missiles are to expensive and can’t be produced in sufficient quantities to be useful. So many changes to war.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Probably a good indicator of the next war, and a war that may include the US.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

They said the same when we quit standing in lines like gentleman. One of the chief complaints about the American Revolution was farmers insisting on taking pop shots behind trees and fences.

3 weeks ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

And they *really* hated how the farmers kept shooting officers.

3 weeks ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

Deadly* it was launched to kill a human.
He just saved someone's life.

3 weeks ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 3

Coming soon to a city near you.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It already did, a couple of days ago they found a drone with a bomb on an airport here in germany

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

There is nothing better for innovation than a war. Sadly.

3 weeks ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

This particular innovation has consequences that aren't really being discussed enough. A few grand and anyone with a bit of practice can kill someone a thousand KMs away.

The implications of that suck a lot harder than we realize.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

We have stuff like this and Maxim machine guns in use...

3 weeks ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

IIRC, there were some Ukrainians flying around in old two person prop plane fighters, with the one in the back shooting at drones with basic assault rifles.

3 weeks ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

It's like Jules Verne wrote this war.

3 weeks ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Wars have always been fought with Technology and the ability to fund an amount to that technology. IRL defenders advantage is WAY more intense than it is in RISK. Saving lives is always the number 1 determination factor in what strategies get deployed in war (usually)
so yea. We are watching the rubber meet the road with new technology.

3 weeks ago | Likes 47 Dislikes 3

Human lives mean absolutely nothing to one of the two warring parties in this war of invasion—and it is not hard to guess which side is meant.

3 weeks ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Tldr: People innovate best when they don’t want to die.

3 weeks ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

The tech development has intrigued me, in a literal arms race sense. You can see how the two differing objectives (Human target vs drone-on-drone/armor) have shaped the technological focus of each side of the battlefield. Long gone are the ages of just sending meat onto the field, and scooping up the hamburger afterward.

3 weeks ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 0

Not for lack of trying that method by Russia. I wonder what their losses are at by now. A lot.

3 weeks ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

ukraine makes public record of it

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

Russia is considering mobilization because they can't recruit enough people. Russia says they are recruiting 50,000 people a month and extending contracts of those already in the war. Their army has been shrinking in size. They claim few losses while also desperately recruiting anyone and increasing the maximum age of recruits.

Where are all these people going?

3 weeks ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

that all ready happened. they drafted everyone from like age 45-60. They are already hiring immigrant PMC's to fight the war too. Putin is all out of all options. All he can do now is point forward and see what his generals give him. He can't stop the war. His life depends on it.

3 weeks ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

I genuinely hope that the concept of soldiers for soldiers sake gets left behind. War too, but... This is humanity we're talking about. If a serviceperson is on the field, I feel that it should be for maintenance and CnC purposes, as opposed to strictly holding a gun and shooting other people.

While those orcs are monstrous, at this point it's likely that no one on the field -wants- to be there anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if they stated calling for farmers and other workhands to the battle

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

They'll try. But since this war isn't fought with pushups and guts, I don't know what they'll harvest that hasn't already been spent.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 2

Last I saw their casualties were at around 1.5 million. Since that is almost exclusively men, and Russia's population is around 150m. They just skewed their already heavily female dominant demographics even further. They were already at ~43% men. And while sure, not all casualties are dead, in this war, most are. Also, the societal and economic burden of the injured and mentally unstable going back to Russia is going to be enormous.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Seems overly complicated vs the shotgun drone. But what do I know about drones? These guys are the rucking experts.

3 weeks ago | Likes 28 Dislikes 2

Higher chance of a hit with net.

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Much safer and more predictable way to bring it down.

3 weeks ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

Valuable tech captured. Fresh intelligence, fresh parts, look at all my free precious metals I can use to make more drones to keep harvesting drones.

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

People often live down on the ground... where the missed rounds will land...

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Nobody else even remotely touches Ukraine's drone expertise. We're all in the dark ages by comparison. I'm damn glad to be on their side.

3 weeks ago | Likes 30 Dislikes 0

I'm on Ukraines side, but I'm not so sure my government is.

I'm watching the us military become obsolete in real time.

3 weeks ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 0

You mean the Israeli military? Because that seems to be what the morons in government appear to want to do: to put the US military at Israel's beck and call, essentially making the US military Israel's.

3 weeks ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

The house just passed a bill with a rider that merged our militaires.

It's a disgusting level of treason by the house.

3 weeks ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 1

A captured drone could yield intelligence vs just destroying it.

3 weeks ago | Likes 22 Dislikes 1

Look up the Click Here podcast called, "The Drone Whisperer." Interesting look at intelligence gathering from downed drones.

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

True, but leads me on to thinking that it would be a very complex and tricky problem to recover a downed drone. Even if you cut the fiber it could have vibration or proximity or even machine-vision sensors just waiting to detonate it.

3 weeks ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

I would use a crude robot with a big chomping jaw, i might damage some stuff but if i can crudely cut off the explosives and drag them 20m away someone can examine the rest safely.

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

Gaining intelligence is important in a war like this, where you have to face countless of these buzzing bastards.

3 weeks ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Oh definitely, I ain't disagreein'!

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I feel like it's a lot easier to miss w/ a shotgun?

3 weeks ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Weight, backlash?

3 weeks ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

This, shotguns don't fire nearly as wide a spread as people think, and if you make them spread more the velocity of the projectiles drop a lot, maybe to the point where they don't even damage the drone.
A net can be made very thin and flimsy and would still snag a propeller causing the whole thing to crash. I bet you could take down one of these with a packet of synthetic halloween "spider web" dropped on it, just letting the props wind it up until they stall.

3 weeks ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

Agreed and you're giving me ideas, I can picture them developing something like a shotgun shell that would shoot a very fine net that would spread out quickly and entangle the blades, if it was a shotgun shell it could be a multi shot clip unlike this where I figure they have to land and reload each time.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I think a semi auto shotgun mechanism would be a bit heavy to fly around. As things are i would imagine the current shotgun shell firing ones are just a bit of tube with a pin on a spring at the back, and a servo holding the pin away from the shell.
Maybe you could get away with a double barrel version.

3 weeks ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Yeah, a bit heavier, I was picturing it on one of the larger quad drones the ones that are similar or the same as the agriculture spraying drones.

3 weeks ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0