Russia's new fiber-optic sea drone 'Skarlupa' deployed in combat, Kremlin media claims
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Russia's first fiber-optic naval drone "Skarlupa" has been deployed for combat operations against Ukraine, Russian state-controlled news agency TASS claimed on March 31.
If confirmed, this would make it the first known use of a fiber-optic naval drone in combat operations. Fiber-optic control makes such systems resistant to electronic warfare, as the signal is transmitted through a physical cable rather than over radio frequencies.
Skarlupa is being developed by Ushkuynik, the manufacturer of Russia’s fiber-optic drone KVN, described by Ukraine as one of the most wildly deployed Russian first-person view (FPV) drones on the batterfield.
The name Skarlupa translates from Russian as Eggshell, giving an insight intended role as a mothership platform capable of carrying multiple smaller drones.
This configuration was shown in a video published on Ushkuynik’s Telegram channel in February.
Beyond potential use on the battlefield against Ukraine, Russian officials and pro-war commentators have also suggested that such drones could be supplied to “friendly nations” as part of their broader confrontation with the West.
Despite the apparent innovation, experts have cautioned against reading too much into the announcement.
"There is no confirmed combat use of these systems at a scale that would allow us to speak of leadership (in the drone race)," Viktor Perfetsky, head of analytics at the Ukrainian Council of Defense Industry, told the Kyiv Independent.
"We see that they are still at the stage of trials and testing. At the same time, we know that Ukraine is also developing and testing such solutions. Therefore, it is premature to say that Russia is already ahead in this area."
Assessing potential deployment scenarios, Perfetsky said that for both Russia and Ukraine, the primary advantage of such technology is an extended strike range.
A fiber spool of around 50 kilometers could theoretically allow Russia to reach some coastal targets from the sea while remaining undetectable, he said.
Perferatsy also stated that according to UCDI sources Ukraine is already developing similar solutions .
"More broadly, when it comes to naval and river drone systems, Ukraine is undoubtedly a global leader. It was Ukraine that first demonstrated how these systems can systematically influence the naval theater of operations, and the strategic initiative in this domain still remains with us."
Interest in Ukraine’s naval technology expertise has recently grown, as Kyiv has proposed using its sea drones to help secure shipping corridors in the Persian Gulf.
