Attack Naval Drones / Udarni Morski Drony
An Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) is an unmanned marine system that navigates and performs missions using its own controls. USVs are relatively small and cost-effective, and are used in large marine surface areas. They are also being increasingly deployed in missions that require very long patrol times in dangerous areas because humans perform missions almost individually with little coordination. In the case of USVs, several USV developments have been carried out through public and private planning for various fields and purposes, and USVs are being commercially used in scientific research, environmental missions, marine exploration, military applications, and other applications, such as traffic, communication relay, and fuel supply.
USVs first appeared during World War II, but it was not until the 1990s that their use was extended to carrying out national projects in earnest. The first USV was the Comox, developed in 1944 in Canada. Comox was developed for Operation Normandy to perform smoke screen operations on behalf of airplanes. It was responsible for supporting mine sweeping and the demolition of rocket craft; although the experiment was successful, it was not used in practice. Around the same time, the United States developed and demonstrated USVs namely ‘Porcupine’, ‘Bob-Sled’, and ‘Woofus 120' equipped with mine-removing rockets to remove mines and obstacles in a region. Able and Baker began using drone boats to collect radiation samples after an atomic bomb detonation in 1946. A USV was developed and used as a target for missile launch training in the 1960s.
Even today, many target USVs, including seaborne-powered targets (SEPARs), high-speed maneuverable seaborne targets (HSMST), and mobile ship targets (MSTs), QST-33 and QST-35/35A, are still in service as unmanned ground ships. USVs began to be used for mining purposes after the 1950s. In the late 1960s, the larger minesweeping drone USV was also developed and deployed in Vietnam, where it was used for mine removal. By the 1990s, R/C Dyads, Moss, and an advanced lightweight influence sweep system (ALISS) were developed for demining; more recently, the sophisticated USV demining systems, namely Brown, Palmer, and Brizzola, were developed. It was only in the late 1990s that the USV began to be increasingly used for a variety of purposes, including information / monitoring / reconnaissance, port surveillance, and maritime surveys. Autonomous search and hydrographic vehicles (ASHs) and Roboski were initially developed as shipboard deployed surface targets (SDSTs); that is, as a jet ski-type target for ship self-defense training. They are currently used in difficult missions, such as reconnaissance.
The Ukrainian maritime attack drone is a small, high-speed and highly maneuverable remotely piloted vessel that carries a warhead on board that detonates upon impact with an enemy ship or other target. Despite the difficult conditions of use, Ukrainian drones have a fairly simple design, which allows them to be manufactured at small non-core enterprises in the conditions of a warring country. According to the official statements of Ukrainian representatives, the cost of one unit is about 250,000 dollars.
Analysis of the photos of the vessel showed that its design is based on the Canadian Sea-Doo company's civilian watercraft, namely the GTX or Fish Pro models, which are quite common on the market. This approach significantly simplified and reduced the cost of the drone production process. The craft is powered by a water jet engine in the aft part of the hull, which works in conjunction with a powerful three-cylinder Rotax gasoline engine capable of accelerating the jet ski to 70 miles per hour.
Judging by the equipment on board, the drone is controlled using satellite geolocation systems, as well as a video channel, in which the signal from the camera is transmitted through the Starlink satellite communication system to the control panel in the command post. Another feature of the first generation marine drone is the warhead initiation system. The explosive device installed in the middle of the hull is activated by two shock detonators located in the bow. The latter were probably taken from Soviet aviation ammunition, which suggests the use of FAB-100 or FAB-250 aviation bombs as combat units.
The use of drones in underwater operations has been gaining momentum in recent years. Drones can be used for surveillance and reconnaissance of submarines, allowing them to more accurately detect and track enemy vessels. They can also be used to deploy and recover torpedoes, as well as to provide a means of communication between submarines and other vessels.
With the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the point of view on this instrument of war was fundamentally revised. Unique Ukrainian naval drones, entering into a confrontation with the Russian navy, demonstrated their high efficiency and made a significant contribution to the turning point of hostilities in the maritime theater of hostilities, "driving" the entire Russian fleet into ports and harbors.
The 01 April 2022 incident with the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, the cruiser "Moskva", was reported by some sources to have been sunk as a result of a high-class attack by Ukrainian kamikaze boats. But the governor of Odessa said that Ukrainian forces had hit the Moskva with missile strikes. "Neptune missiles guarding the Black Sea caused very serious damage to the Russian ship. Glory to Ukraine!" governor Maksym Marchenko wrote on Telegram. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told CNN that “there was an explosion” on the ship, but added, “We’re not quite exactly sure what happened here. We do assess that there was an explosion — at least one explosion on this cruiser — a fairly major one at that, that has caused extensive damage to the ship.”
On 29 October 2022, Russia's Black Sea Fleet based at Sevastopol was assailed by 16 aerial and maritime kamikaze robots. President Vladimir Putin said Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and a decision to freeze participation in a Black Sea grain export program were responses to a drone attack on Moscow's fleet in Crimea that he blamed on Ukraine. Putin told a news conference that Ukrainian drones had used the same marine corridors that grain ships transited under the UN-brokered deal. Russia's defense ministry suggested one of the drones may have been launched from a civilian vessel chartered by Ukraine or a Western country to export food from Ukrainian ports.
| Length | 5.5 m |
| Full weight | up to 1000 kg |
| operating range | up to 400 km |
| range | up to 800 km |
| Autonomy | up to 60 hours |
| Combat load | up to 200 kg |
| maximum speed | 80 km/h |
| Ways of navigation | automatic GNSS, inertial, visual |
The first images of the serial version of the drone with a mast, on which surveillance equipment and a Starlink antenna were installed, appeared only on May 24, when the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation released a video of the attack on its reconnaissance ship "Ivan Khurs " . A few weeks later, on June 11, another Russian ship of the RF Navy "Pryazovye " was attacked . Then the Russians managed to take high-quality pictures of the drone from several angles.
When designing a new model of the ship, the Starlink satellite communication system was probably replaced due to the company's ban on using their technology for military purposes. For this purpose, the company proactively imposed restrictions on the provision of communication in the waters of the Black Sea and, in general, to objects moving at high speed. Considering the activity of drones already after the ban, it can be concluded that an alternative communication network was found.
The disadvantage of current drones, which was discovered during combat use, was their vulnerability to small arms of ships. Drones simply cannot overcome barrage fire. This problem is unlikely to be compensated constructively by rearrangement and reservation of boats. A possible solution could be to adapt the drone to dive on the final stretch of the path to the target. After diving even a meter, the visibility of the drone will drop sharply, and a dense layer of water will stop the bullet. The non-obvious advantage of this "tactic" is also inflicting damage to the target below the waterline, which multiplies the risk of flooding.
The Toloka TLK 150 was presented at the conference of the Brave1 defense cluster in April 2023. The Toloka TLK 150 is a small drone-torpedo with a warhead of 20-50 kg of explosives, equipped with an electric motor. The range of the drone is 100 km. It is equipped with a mast equipped with an antenna and a rotating camera for targeting and maintaining communication. The project is at the initial stage of development.
The guidance system uses the GPS signal and the inertial navigation system in conditions of no GPS (underwater) or when the signal is jammed. In the case of communication suppression by EW means, the device identifies the source and leaves the zone of its influence. The project also provides for integration into the guidance system of a complex of passive sonar, with the help of which the identification and bearing of underwater and surface objects will be carried out using the hydrophone system.
In general, as part of the project, it was planned to develop three versions of torpedo drones: TLK 150 (2.5 meters); TLK 400 (4-6 meters); TLK 1000 (4-12 meters). TLK 400 will receive 500 kg of explosives and a range of 1,200 kilometers. In turn, the 4-12-meter TLK 1000 with a range of 2,000 kilometers will be able to carry up to 5,000 kg of explosives.
The watercraft designed for unmanned operation can be operated autonomously or remotely. Remote-controlled operation is preferred. However, it is common to also use watercraft designed for the are designed for unmanned operation, for example, have a control stand for manual ferry operation.
The construction as a shallow diving boat has two further advantages. On the one hand, only a small part, the upper part of the tower, protrudes above the water surface, which lowers the radar cross section (RCS) compared to comparable pure surface vessel, and thus the Detection probability by other surface units or aircraft reduced. On the other hand, the submerged submarine has the advantage that, due to the constant contact with the surface, oxygen from the atmosphere is always available and exhaust gases can also be released into the atmosphere and that a pressure hull only has to be designed for very shallow depths. As a result, the construction of a submersible boat is comparatively simple and inexpensive.
The watercraft has a hull and a tower arranged on the hull. The watercraft is a semi-submersible boat, which means that the vast majority of the buoyancy-generating construction is below the waterline. In the case of this invention, in normal semi-submerged operation, the hull is arranged completely under water, while the tower arranged on the hull protrudes continuously above the waterline. In contrast to other watercraft, the hull, apart from the connection surface of the tower, is completely surrounded by water, so that preferably at least 3/4, preferably at least 7/8, very particularly preferably 11/12 of the surface of the hull in contact with the surrounding water are. The hull has at least one first watertight hull area and at least one first water-flooded hull area.
The semi-submersible navigation body is positioned below the water surface by more than 80 percent of the total volume, and has better navigation concealment; and because the water line surface is smaller, the adverse effect of water surface waves on the navigation attitude of the navigation body is reduced. The small semi-submersible type navigation body comprises: the power supply watertight cable, the communication navigation assembly, the control cabin assembly, and the power propulsion assembly.
The radio transmitter is communicated with the radio antenna and is used for receiving the instruction of the navigation control unit, amplifying the instruction and transmitting the amplified instruction through the radio antenna; the transformer is used for converting a power supply voltage in the power propulsion assembly into a voltage required by electronic equipment in the control cabin assembly; the navigation control unit is used for planning a path and then sending a navigation control instruction to the power propulsion assembly to enable the navigation body to run according to the planned path.
The the power propulsion assembly is a water permeable structure comprising: the device comprises a front air guide sleeve, a side air guide sleeve, a battery pack, a lower bearing frame, a rear air guide sleeve, a propeller and a load mounting frame. The battery pack is used for supplying power to the propeller and is connected with the control cabin assembly through a power supply watertight cable; the battery pack is arranged in a sealed battery box.
On August 27, 2022, the British Ministry of Defense announced the delivery of 6 autonomous underwater drones for the search and disposal of Russian mines. Three of them will be provided by the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and another three will be purchased from industry. The lightweight autonomous vehicle is intended for use on shallow coastal waters, effectively operating at a depth of up to 100 m to detect, locate and identify mines using a set of sensors so that the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine can destroy them.
Ukraine received REMUS-100 drones for demining from Great Britain. The UK MoD statement said that "dozens of sailors of the Navy of Ukraine will learn how to operate these machines." This was done in order to secure the so-called grain corridor, because the Russian Federation tried to pressure Ukraine and other countries by blackmailing them with food, destroying Ukrainian agriculture and blocking the country's Black Sea ports to prevent grain exports. The Kremlin tried to leave third world countries literally without food, and Great Britain could not help but react to these illegal actions. After the conclusion of the grain agreement in July, the export of food by sea was carried out, but the "grain corridor" became a kind of risk zone due to sea mines left by Russian troops along the coast of Ukraine.
Ukrainian military personnel learn to operate underwater drones during the Sea Breeze international military exercise in Great Britain. The Naval Forces of Ukraine announced this on 30 June 2023. The Ukrainian minesweeper "Chernihiv" is taking part in the Sea Breeze exercises, which are being held off the coast of Scotland from June 26 to July 7. During the training, the hydroacoustic team used remote underwater drones "Sea Fox" designed to search and identify explosive objects under water. The sailors equipped the drone, checked the readiness of all systems and launched it underwater to find a hidden mine. Ukrainians controlled the Sea Fox from a specially equipped room, detected the object using a camera and recorded its exact location. Soon, the "Chernigov" team will launch the Charly attack drone, which should ram the mine and explode with it.
The Pentagon also decided to send several unmanned surface ships to Ukraine to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea. Samuel Bendett, an analyst at the Center for Naval Analysis and an adjunct at the Center for a New American Security, believes that the strengthening of the Ukrainian fleet with unmanned boats and submarines will force Russia to use its own devices that already exist or to develop new ones. And indeed, at the beginning of 2023, a publication appeared in TASS that the Russian Federation was developing an optionally manned armed surface ship for attacks on submarines. In mid-February, the Russians struck a bridge near the Odesa region with the help of a water drone. And recently it became known, that Ukrainian hackers managed to obtain documentation on the development of a Russian underwater drone. Apparently, the Russians are trying to equip their naval forces with additional equipment, assuming a possible offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Crimea.
Thanks to the projects of UNITED24 and NAFO (North Atlantic Fella Organization), as well as Lithuanian journalist Andryus Tapinas, it was possible to purchase several unmanned boats. It is noteworthy that one of the ships was named Raccoon's Revenge ("Revenge of the Raccoon") in honor of the raccoon, which the occupiers stole from the Kherson zoo and transported to Crimea with the rest of the animals. It is known that the drones, bought with donations from citizens of Lithuania, the USA, Ukraine and other countries that participated in the initiative, can cover a distance of 400 km, reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h and stay in autonomous mode for 60 hours on a single charge.
Russia stated that the Sevastopol Bay in occupied Crimea, which is the main base of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, was attacked not only by flying drones, but also by surface drones on the morning of October 29. We tell you what it is and what it is capable of. The occupying "governor" of Sevastopol, Mykhailo Razvozhaev , said that Ukraine used 7 autonomous sea drones in the attack. According to him, all of them were allegedly destroyed with the use of naval weapons and naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet.
Military analyst HI Sutton, who specializes in submarines and engages OSINT, wrote that "beyond any doubt" the type of surface drones that attacked the Russian fleet in Sevastopol on October 29 was the same as the one discovered on the Sevastopol beach at the end of September. Then the unmanned surface vehicle seems to have slipped past Russian naval patrols and was found near the main Russian naval base in Crimea. the Russians "investigated" it, towed it into the sea and destroyed it.
HI Sutton described the surface drone found as "small but purposeful" , about the size of a kayak, powered by a single motor, efficient and fast. And his appearance on the Sevastopol beach indicated that he has a sufficient range. The analyst suggested that such surface drones are designed to ram another vessel and detonate.
The armed forces of Ukraine were able to strike the "Crimean Bridge" on 16 July 2023 thanks to the use of unmanned underwater kamikaze drones, according to the head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts of the Russian Federation Andriy Klintsevich in an interview with the Russian propaganda publication "MK". According to him, it was not possible without the help of the USA, and the route for the underwater vehicle was laid by MQ-9A Reaper reconnaissance drones, which constantly circle over the Black Sea.
The expert emphasizes that this time Ukraine used an underwater or partially submerged drone due to the nature of the explosion itself. "The explosion was from the side of the water upwards, that is, the fabric was simply thrown off the support. The footage from the scene shows that the supports were not destroyed, the slabs were simply torn from their regular places," says Klintsevich.
Klintsevich claims that it is very difficult to detect such a kamikaze submarine: only the Starlink satellite antenna and video camera modules are visible on the surface. Therefore, it is almost impossible for EW systems in the rather extensively filled water area near the "Crimean Bridge" among small boats, boats and ships to locate this device.
The Russian expert also notes that such underwater drones are usually launched from a short distance, and therefore, the Armed Forces used one of the ships passing through the "grain corridor" for cover. Klintsevich cites as an example the previous attack on Sevastopol, which was carried out using kamikaze surface boats from a long distance and "they had to cross almost the entire western part of the Black Sea."
On July 17, 2023, explosions were heard in Kerch at 03:04 and 03:20. In just an hour, the occupiers of Crimea reported about "NP" in the area of ??the 145th pillar from the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. After 10:00, the authorities of the Russian Federation wrote about the attack by two "Ukrainian" drones. LIGA.net sources in the SBU say that the attack on the bridge is a special operation of the SBU and the Navy . The road surface on the spans is damaged, although the supports are supposedly intact.
Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said 17 July 2023 that the Crimean Bridge was "torn up" by naval drones and promised to increase their production. He reported this in Telegram. According to him, the network was recently "torn" by a video of the production of Russian attack drones "Lancet", and already today the Crimean Bridge was "torn" by naval drones.
Ukraine, with the help of innovative means, controls the Black Sea, showing the whole world that a large navy is not necessary to protect its territories. This was announced 02 September 2023 on the air of the FREEDOM TV channel by the head of the DroneUA group of companies, an expert in the field of unmanned technologies and robotics Valery Yakovenko. According to him, Ukraine has become an innovator in the use of a surface robotic fleet to protect its waters. Yakovenko is convinced that flooded barges or some other kind of barriers will not help the Russians protect the Crimean (Kerch) bridge, which is a legitimate target of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
“Ukraine has shown the whole world that it is not necessary to have a multibillion-dollar fleet consisting exclusively of large ships in order to create certain security conditions for their territories. Ukraine has shown that innovative equipment worth several hundred thousand dollars can pose a threat to absolutely the entire fleet of the occupying country, which is now actually cornered. And this is an example for the whole world, for other countries, for small countries that have to protect their water areas, how modern technologies can compete with classical equipment. If we are talking about a combination of surface or underwater technologies, or classic ships, then here we can clearly say that it should always be a combination of fleets of different sizes, but innovation and robotics should be at the core. This allows you to save resources and really create certain changes on the battlefield, ”said the expert.
Yakovenko noted that Ukraine has the potential to create and use underwater equipment. At the moment, according to him, underwater equipment in Ukraine is used exclusively for demining territories, first of all, we are talking about freshwater reservoirs. He also doubts that under the current conditions, the aggressor country can create an analogue of the Ukrainian surface drone SeaBaby (“Sea Baby”).
“If we are talking about Ukrainian surface drones, then we can clearly talk about the technologies that are used. This includes satellite navigation technologies, and the use of radio channel encryption technologies to control this equipment. The fact is that the drone itself as an iron base, a plastic base, as well as certain elements of the body, the propulsion structure and the warhead are all components that can be created in one form or another. But at the same time, will the drone work as efficiently as Ukraine does? I would strongly doubt it here, because the Russian Federation is under sanctions and does not have access to the technologies that Ukraine has,” Yakovenko said.
He stated that the Russian Federation demonstrates a certain technological degradation and the inability to replenish its reserves of any technology. Recall that the military-political observer of the Information Resistance group Alexander Kovalenko predicts that attacks on the Crimean (Kerch) bridge will become more frequent: today it can be damaged from the sea or air.
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