Ukraine keeps updating unmanned surface vessel playbook

6 hrs ago

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Ryan Robertson Anchor/Reporter

By Ryan Robertson (Anchor/Reporter)

Ukraine’s Magura V5 unmanned surface vessels (USVs), nicknamed ‘Sea Babies,’ are pound-for-pound some of the deadliest craft on the water. Just ask Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Those Sea Babies just learned a couple of new skills.

Straight Arrow news previously reported on how Ukraine is using Magura V5s as portable launching platforms for aerial drones. The tactic proved successful against Russian oil platforms.

Now, Ukraine is sending sea babies along the coastlines of Russian-controlled areas and attacking targets on land with the aerial drones.

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Video of the first recorded such encounter was posted to social media. It was captured on Jan. 6 and shows a Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) drone taking out a multi-million-dollar Russian Pantsir air defense system.

Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces say it destroyed two Pantsirs in the attack and severely damaged another anti-aircraft vehicle. A Pantsir is worth about $15 million, while an FPV drone is usually in the neighborhood of a few hundred dollars.

News of Ukraine using aerial drones launched from Magura V5s to hit land-based targets broke about a week after the world learned of another first in multi-domain drone warfare. On Dec. 31, operators from a Ukrainian special forces (SOF) unit called ‘Group 13’ used sea babies to take out Russian helicopters.

Ukraine previously used machine guns mounted to the USVs before to pepper Russian aircraft, but this time the Sea Babies were armed with Sea Dragons, Soviet-era air-to-air missiles. Group 13’s commander said they were on the hunt for Russian helicopters patrolling the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian SOF unit encountered three helicopters that day. Two were destroyed. A third was damaged and reportedly able to ‘limp’ away.

Ukraine’s war effort is heavily dependent on western aid, and some of its drones rely on western satellites for navigation. However, the innovations Ukraine is making in the world of unmanned warfare are second to none, which is why militaries around the world continue to keep a close eye on the conflict.

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

UKRAINE’S MAGURA V5 UNMANNED SURFACE VESSELS, NICKNAMED SEA BABIES, ARE POUND-FOR-POUND SOME OF THE DEADLIEST CRAFT ON THE WATER. JUST ASK RUSSIA’S BLACK SEA FLEET. AND THOSE SEA BABIES JUST LEARNED A COUPLE NEW SKILLS.

WE ALREADY REPORTED ON HOW UKRAINE IS USING MAGURA V5s AS PORTABLE LAUNCHING PLATFORMS FOR AERIAL DRONES. THE TACTIC PROVED SUCCESSFUL AGAINST RUSSIAN OIL PLATFORMS.

NOW, UKRAINE IS SENDING SEA BABIES ALONG THE COAST LINES OF RUSSIAN CONTROLLED AREAS, AND ATTACKING TARGETS ON LAND WITH THE AERIAL DRONES.

THIS IS VIDEO OF THE FIRST RECORDED SUCH ENCOUNTER. IT WAS CAPTURED ON JANUARY 6TH AND SHOWS A UKRAINIAN FPV DRONE TAKING OUT A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PANTSIR AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM.

UKRAINE’S UNMANNED SYSTEMS FORCES SAYS IT DESTROYED TWO PANTSIRS IN THE ATTACK, AND SEVERELY DAMAGED ANOTHER ANTI-AIRCRAFT VEHICLE. A PANTSIR IS WORTH ABOUT $15 MILLION DOLLARS, WHILE AN FPV DRONE IS USUALLY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS.

NEWS OF UKRAINE USING AERIAL DRONES LAUNCHED FROM MAGURA V5s TO HIT LAND-BASED TARGETS BROKE ABOUT A WEEK AFTER THE WORLD LEARNED OF ANOTHER FIRST IN MULTI-DOMAIN DRONE WARFARE. ON DECEMBER 31ST, OPERATORS FROM A UKRAINIAN SPECIAL FORCES UNIT CALLED ‘GROUP 13’ USED SEA BABIES TO TAKE OUT RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS.

UKRAINE USED MACHINE GUNS MOUNTED TO THE UNMANNED SURFACE VESSELS BEFORE TO PEPPER RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT, BUT THIS TIME THE SEA BABIES WERE ARMED WITH SEA DRAGONS, OR SOVIET-ERA AIR-TO-AIR MISSILES. GROUP 13’s COMMANDER SAYS THEY WERE ON THE HUNT FOR RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS PATROLLING THE BLACK SEA.

THE UKRAINIAN SOF UNIT ENCOUNTERED THREE HELICOPTERS THAT DAY. TWO WERE DESTROYED. A THIRD WAS DAMAGED AND REPORTEDLY ABLE TO LIMP AWAY.

UKRAINE’S WAR EFFORT IS HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON WESTERN AID, AND SOME OF ITS DRONES RELY ON WESTERN SATELLITES FOR NAVIGATION.

BUT THE INNOVATIONS UKRAINE IS MAKING IN THE WORLD OF UNMANNED WARFARE ARE SECOND TO NONE. WHICH IS WHY MILITARIES AROUND THE WORLD CONTINUE TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE CONFLICT.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M RYAN ROBERTSON. FOR MORE OF OUR REPORTING ON UKRAINE’S SEA BABIES AND THE CONFLICT WITH RUSSIA BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY, OR LOG TO SAN.COM.