The FBI wants ‘unjammable’ drones

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US’s highest criminal investigation agency, is looking to take a page out of Ukraine’s playbook with the wish to acquire fiber optic, hardwired drones that are basically unjammable.

We recently discussed the fallout of widespread use of fiber optic drones in Ukraine by both sides of the conflict. These drones use a hard-wired connection between the drone and its controller using a massive spool of fiber optic cabling.

This change from radio transmission to fiber optic cables makes the drone incredibly difficult to take down. The physical connection means drone jamming equipment is useless, which leads to shooting the drone down out of the sky, a task that is rather difficult.

They do come with downsides; the range is limited to how long the cable is. That’s not too big of a deal, as most can fly for up to 20 miles away. And second, the cables can become caught or cut if found by the enemy.

Those downsides don’t seem to be making the FBI stay away from the unjammable upsides of them. The bureau has already put out a request for information (RFI) requesting companies to send in their bids to supply them with these types of drones.

The RFI doesn’t share much information other than that; it also doesn’t specify who inside the bureau would use them or how they would use the drones. RFIs also don’t mean the bureau is going to buy these types of drones, just that it wants to and is looking for potential suppliers.

While fiber optic drones in Ukraine are usually equipped with explosives that detonate on impact, it’s unlikely that will be the use case for the FBI.

As counter-drone equipment becomes more easily available for everyone, including criminals, law enforcement has seen their own drones being targeted. A report from 2024 shared that cartels have taken up the technology and regularly use it against Customs & Border Protection units along the US-Mexico border.

While the FBI’s use cases are still a mystery, you can see how having a drone immune to typical frequency jamming or weak connections can become a useful tool in investigations against well-funded criminal organizations or inside confined spaces, like tunnels.