Ukrainian naval drones have learned to mine the sea lanes of Russian ships. Thanks to this tactic, it was possible to sink four enemy ships.
Points of attention
- Ukrainian maritime drones SeaBaby successfully blew up four Russian ships using sea mine laying technology.
- Naval drones have allowed Ukraine to damage Russian ships and infrastructure, including the Crimean Bridge.
- The use of naval drones is proving effective even for smaller countries with limited resources against larger fleets.
- Maritime drone technologies are rapidly developing, which can change the balance of power in maritime conflicts.
- Ukraine has taken military strategy to a new level, demonstrating the success of effective naval tactics using drones.
SeaBaby remotely blew up four Russian vessels
As reported in The Wall Street Journal, the Russians, frightened by the naval drone raids, built more considerable barriers at the entrance to Sevastopol Bay. Hence, the Ukrainians devised an alternative operation: installing sea mines.
Special SeaBabys have learned to install bottom mines made of plastic, weighing about 180 kg. They are difficult to find because they lie in the mud under shallow water, use acoustic and electromagnetic sensors to detect the presence of a ship by causing a detonation.
For 1.5 months, a team of Ukrainian special services monitored the routes of naval ships and civilian transport before sending SeaBaby to plant two mines. On September 14, the missile corvette "Samum" exploded on such a mine.
Over the following weeks, SeaBaby laid about 15 more mines. During one of the flights, the drone opened fire with a grenade launcher on Russian Raptor-class patrol boats, damaging them.
On October 11, the large patrol boat "Pavel Derzhavin" was damaged while entering Sevastopol Bay. He hobbled into port for inspection. On October 13, the ship was going to another port for repairs but was blown up by a mine. A large tugboat sent to rescue the boat also blew up.
A few days later, an explosion occurred on a modern mine countermeasure ship, one of two in Russian service.
Ukrainian naval drones attacks against Russia’s fleet
Ukrainian naval drones turned the tide of the war in the Black Sea. Technologies in this area are developing rapidly.
Ukraine has sunk or damaged about two dozen Russian ships of all sizes with the help of naval drones. In particular, they caused severe damage to the Crimean Bridge. Ukraine also attacked Russian ships and port facilities with missiles.
Maritime drones are relatively cheap and rugged to detect and defend against. Their use shows how smaller, poorer nations can level the naval playing field against larger, more powerful navies.
More on the topic
- Category
- Ukraine
- Publication date
- Додати до обраного
- Category
- Technology
- Publication date
- Додати до обраного
- Category
- Technology
- Publication date
- Додати до обраного
