Why fibre-optic drone control becomes harder at sea

Does the availability of 20-30 km fibre-optic control solve the communication problem for uncrewed attacks at sea?

It helps within that range, but distant warships, delicate cables, moving traffic, and routing constraints make open-ocean use more demanding and expensive.

A 20-30 km fibre-optic link from shore cannot control an attacking drone all the way to a warship operating more than 200 miles offshore. Long lengths of spoolable cable are delicate, and traffic, fishing gear, or other moving objects can interrupt them. An airborne cable also has to clear ships' masts, potentially forcing a drone higher where it is easier to see. Land-war examples therefore need substantial adaptation before they can be applied to the moving maritime environment. Solutions remain possible, but the added complexity weakens simple claims about cheap attackers overwhelming expensive defenders. The historical comparison returns to torpedo craft meeting prepared rapid-firing batteries, followed by a discussion of gun-fired depth-charge ammunition against underwater threats.