Discarded Deep-Sea Nets from France Transform into Essential Shield To Counter Enemy Drones in the War Zone
On the coastal quaysides of the Breton shoreline, piles of discarded fishing nets have become a regular occurrence.
The usable duration of deep-sea fishing nets generally extends between one to two years, after which they become deteriorated and irreparable.
Presently, this specialized fishing material, originally designed for harvesting monkfish from the marine bottom, is being repurposed for a different kind of capture: hostile aerial vehicles.
Humanitarian Project Transforms Discarded Gear
A Breton charity has dispatched two deliveries of nets measuring 280km to the war-torn nation to protect soldiers and civilians along the combat zone where hostilities peak.
Russian forces use small, cheap drones fitted with combat payloads, controlling them by remote control for ranges of up to 25km.
"During the past 24 months, the war has mutated. Before we didn't even think about drones, but now it's a aerial combat conflict," explained a humanitarian organizer.
Strategic Use of Marine Mesh
Military personnel use the nets to create corridors where drone propellers become trapped. This method has been compared to spiders catching flies in a net.
"The Ukrainians have told us they require specific generic mesh material. They have been sent quite a few that are unusable," the representative added.
"The nets we are sending are made of specialized material and used for ocean trawling to catch powerful sea creatures which are quite powerful and hit the nets with a strength comparable to that of a drone."
Expanding Uses
Initially deployed by doctors protecting medical camps near the frontline, the nets are now being used on transport routes, crossings, the entrances to hospitals.
"It's astonishing that something so simple works so well," commented the humanitarian director.
"We face no deficit of trawling material in this region. It creates difficulty to know what to do with them as multiple companies that recycle them have ceased operations."
Operational Challenges
The charitable organization was established after community members contacted the founders requesting assistance with clothing, food and medical supplies for Ukraine.
Numerous assistants have driven two vehicle loads of aid 1,430 miles to the border crossing point.
"Upon discovering that Ukraine needed nets, the coastal residents responded immediately," stated the charity director.
Aerial Combat Evolution
Russia is using first-person view drones similar to those on the commercial market that can be guided by remote radio control and are then armed with explosives.
Hostile controllers with live camera streams guide them to their targets. In certain regions, Ukrainian forces report that all activity ceases without attracting the attention of clusters of "killer" suicide aircraft.
Protective Methods
The trawling material are stretched between poles to establish netting tunnels or used to cover defensive positions and equipment.
Ukrainian drones are also fitted with fragments of material to deploy against hostile aircraft.
During summer months, Ukraine was facing more than numerous aerial vehicles per day.
International Assistance
Substantial quantities of old nets have also been contributed by fishers in Sweden and Denmark.
A former fisheries committee president declared that coastal workers are more than happy to support the defense cause.
"They are proud to know their used material is going to assist in protection," he informed media.
Financial Challenges
The charity has exhausted the financial resources to dispatch additional materials this year and negotiations are occurring for Ukraine to send lorries to collect the material.
"We shall assist acquire the material and prepare them but we don't have the budget to continue managing shipments ourselves," explained the organization representative.
Practical Restrictions
An armed services communicator reported that protective mesh corridors were being installed across the conflict area, about three-quarters of which is now stated as captured and administered by Russian forces.
She commented that opposition vehicle controllers were continuously developing ways to penetrate the mesh.
"Mesh does not represent a panacea. They are just a single component of protection against drones," she emphasized.
A former produce merchant expressed that the individuals he encountered were affected by the help from maritime regions.
"The circumstance that those in the coastal economy the far region of Europe are dispatching gear to assist their protection efforts has caused emotional reactions to their eyes," he finished.