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Anti-FPV Net Tunnels & Curtains

Physical BarrierOpen-Source Verified

Wire mesh or fishing-net curtains strung over roads, trenches, ammunition dumps, command posts, and CASEVAC routes. Forms physical 'drone tunnels' kilometers long. The cheapest and most reliable area-denial measure against FPV strikes — defeats both RF-link and fiber-optic FPVs because the kill mechanism is purely mechanical.

How It Works

A simple physical barrier: the FPV either snags rotors in the mesh and crashes, or detonates harmlessly on the net well above the protected vehicle/personnel. Posts every 5–15 m support 4–6 m high netting. By 2025 both sides built tens of kilometres of net tunnels over MSRs and trenches on the Pokrovsk, Kupyansk and Toretsk axes; Russian forces have also raised tunnel-style overhead structures (sometimes called 'retrograde net tunnels') as fiber-optic FPVs proliferated.

Technical Specifications

range
Linear coverage — meters to kilometers
cost
$2–$10 per linear meter (materials), labor extra
deployment Time
Hours to days per kilometer
crew Required
Engineer/sapper team
weight
Negligible per meter
power Requirement
None

Advantages

  • + Defeats fiber-optic FPVs that bypass every EW system
  • + Zero per-engagement cost — passive infrastructure
  • + Works 24/7 with no operator, no batteries, no signature
  • + Easy to repair after a strike — replace the damaged panel

Disadvantages

  • − Static — cannot protect maneuver elements in open ground
  • − Visually advertises 'something valuable here' if poorly sited
  • − Vulnerable to heavy bomber drops from above (net catches the munition but blast may still penetrate)
  • − Wind, snow, and artillery shrapnel degrade the structure

Tactical Deployment Tips

  • ▸ Cover the full length of MSRs near the FLOT, not just chokepoints
  • ▸ Layer with overhead mesh on critical static sites (CP, ammo, fuel)
  • ▸ Use camouflaged netting to avoid free targeting cues
  • ▸ Maintain dedicated repair teams — single broken panel = open corridor

Limitations & Vulnerabilities

  • ⚠ Cannot protect mobile convoys at speed
  • ⚠ Heavy bomber drones can drop munitions onto the net from altitude
  • ⚠ Recon drones overfly without engagement — does nothing for ISR

Drones It Defeats

Drone types ranked by how well this system defeats them — tap any drone for details

FPV Kamikaze DroneHighFiber-Optic Guided FPVHighAI-Autonomous Strike DroneHighAcoustic-Stealth RotaryHighKinetic Impact / Ramming DroneHighHeavy-Lift FPV BomberMediumSmall Loitering MunitionMediumCoordinated Drone SwarmMediumMicro / Nano DroneMediumCBRN / Hazmat DroneMediumCommercial COTS QuadcopterLowMilitary Reconnaissance QuadcopterLowLarge Loitering MunitionLowVTOL Fixed-Wing HybridLowWinged Glide MunitionLowConverted Agricultural Heavy-LiftLowAdversary Interceptor DroneLowOne-Way Attack Cruise DroneLowTactical Fixed-Wing UAVNoneMALE / HALE Strategic UAVNoneNaval USV / UUVNoneHeavy-Lift Cargo / Resupply UAVNoneMini ISR Fixed-WingNoneTethered Surveillance DroneNoneJet-Powered UCAVNoneDecoy / Electronic Warfare DroneNoneHigh-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS)NoneMothership / Carrier UAVNoneSea-Skimming Attack USVNone

⚠ How Adversaries Defeat This System

Active enemy adaptations observed in the field — distinct from passive limitations above

  • ▸ Heavy bombers releasing munitions from above the net
  • ▸ Drones flying around uncovered gaps — coverage discipline matters
  • ▸ Repeated strikes on the same panel to create a breach

Sources & Further Reading

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