Ukrainian drone innovation: Sea‑based strikes unsettle Russia
The Russian Black Sea Fleet was defeated in a clash with a nation practically devoid of warships. The key to this victory was the essentially armed, remote-controlled Ukrainian water scooters, which continue to evolve. After missile drones, it's now the era of unmanned aircraft carriers.
On January 5, the Ukrainians launched an FPV drone attack on two Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft systems in the Kherson region, which were guarding the airspace over the northern part of Crimea.
Interestingly, the attack was executed from what can be described as an unmanned aircraft carrier drone operating from the Black Sea. It seems to be another project by Group 13 of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), following anti-aircraft drones and artillery drones. Such attacks on Russian positions require the deployment of additional forces, which could be valuable elsewhere and are very demoralizing for the Russians.
Unmanned Ukrainian aircraft carriers — the evolution of marine drones
The Ukrainians are investing heavily in the widespread use of unmanned systems on the battlefield. Flying drones have become the norm, much like marine drones, which have led to the withdrawal of Russian ships from the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The Ukrainian unmanned aircraft carrier is likely based on the Magura V5 project. These resemble a motorboat in appearance, measuring about 18 feet long and 5 feet wide, powered by a jet propulsion system from a Sea-Doo scooter, allowing speeds up to 48 mph.
The system includes encrypted communication, satellite navigation, a Starlink terminal, and an observation head with a day and thermal camera mounted on a mast. The difference lies in potentially replacing the 660/1,320-pound warhead with a superstructure serving as a landing platform for FPV drones or "Baba Yaga" type drones. These drones carry smaller units and have a mast with an antenna for communication.
In terms of FPV drones, their range can be about 6 miles or more. However, using larger "Baba Yaga" drones as signal boosters and carriers for FPV drones (there are instances of such use), the operational range of the strike group could extend to several tens of miles.
It's important to note, however, that this example seems more about testing the concept rather than production for deployment. Nevertheless, if Ukraine builds a fleet of such aircraft carriers, they could significantly disrupt Russia's operations along the Crimean coast.
