#Ukrainian-made naval drones to target Russian vessels

[jenniferlinda76]

The Black Sea Drone War: A David and Goliath Struggle with Global Implications

The Black Sea, once a shared resource and vital trade route, has become a contested battleground in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. A new weapon has emerged that's tipping the scales in Ukraine's favor: domestically-produced naval drones. These unmanned vehicles (UAVs) are proving surprisingly effective against the larger, more traditional vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Ukraine's Drone Arsenal Takes Flight

News of Ukrainian-made naval drones targeting Russian military boats first surfaced in September 2022. Since then, these UAVs have become a constant threat, forcing Russia to adapt its strategies. The exact specifications of these drones remain undisclosed for security reasons, but reports suggest they are:

Relatively small and fast: This makes them difficult targets for traditional radar and anti-aircraft defenses.

GPS-independent: Ukrainian special forces claim to have developed technology allowing the drones to operate without GPS, making them immune to Russian jamming efforts.

Capable of carrying explosives: These drones function as kamikaze weapons, inflicting significant damage on their targets.

The most well-known Ukrainian drone seems to be the MAGURA V5, credited with destroying several Russian vessels. However, there are likely other models in Ukraine's arsenal, each with its own strengths and functionalities.

Striking a Blow: Attacks on Russian Vessels

The first major reported success of Ukrainian naval drones came in November 2022, when they allegedly sank two Ukrainian-made naval drones to target Russian vessels landing ships docked in occupied Crimea. This attack signaled a new phase in the war, highlighting the vulnerability of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Since then, there have been numerous reports of drone attacks on Russian vessels. In February 2024, Ukraine claimed responsibility for destroying the warship Ivanovets and damaging the landing ship Caesar Kunikov using jet ski-powered drones. Later that month, another drone attack reportedly sank the frigate Sergei Kotov.

Most recently, on May 30th, 2024, Ukrainian forces used naval drones to target two Russian patrol boats near Crimea. Footage released by Ukraine shows a drone dodging heavy gunfire before striking its target. This attack highlights the evolving tactics of Ukrainian drone warfare, showcasing their ability to operate under fire.

Impact on Ukrainian Ports and the Black Sea Economy

The war has devastated Ukraine's Black Sea ports, with Odessa and Mariupol facing heavy bombardment and blockades by the Russian Navy. This has crippled Ukrainian exports and disrupted global food supplies, particularly wheat and corn.

However, the successful deployment of naval drones offers a glimmer of hope for Ukraine. By contesting Russian control of the Black Sea, Ukraine can potentially reopen vital trade routes and alleviate the economic strain of the war. Furthermore, the success of these drones could encourage other countries facing naval challenges to explore similar technologies.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

Despite their effectiveness, Ukrainian drone warfare faces challenges. Russia is likely to adapt its defenses, implementing stronger electronic countermeasures and deploying drone-hunting technologies. Additionally, the production capacity of Ukrainian drones remains unknown. Can they maintain a steady stream of these UAVs to counter a potential Russian escalation?

The future of the Black Sea hinges on the ongoing battle between Ukrainian drones and the Russian Navy. If Ukraine can maintain its technological edge and continue disrupting Russian control, it could significantly alter the course of the war. However, the conflict is far from over, and both sides are likely to refine their strategies in the coming months.

Looking Forward: A New Era of Naval Warfare?

The Black Sea conflict offers a glimpse into the future of naval warfare. Drone technology is rapidly evolving, and its success in Ukraine suggests a potential shift away from traditional battleships towards smaller, more agile unmanned vessels. This raises questions about the future role of large navies and the need for international regulations governing the development and use of armed drones at sea.

The war in Ukraine has undoubtedly been a tragedy, but it has also accelerated advancements in military technology. The story of the Black Sea drones serves as a reminder of the potential for innovation to reshape the way wars are fought, with significant implications for global security.

[mariacallous]

Ukraine’s daring attack on a major Russian warship in occupied Crimea in the small hours of Dec. 26 was one more episode in Kyiv’s strategy to deny Russia control over the Black Sea. With most of its ships driven out of its home port in Sevastopol, the Russian Black Sea Fleet can no longer find safe haven anywhere along the Crimean Peninsula. All ports there are now vulnerable to attack.

The Institute for the Study of War tells the story with data, showing that Sevastopol saw a steady decline in the number of Russian naval vessels in port between June and December 2023; by contrast, Novorossiysk on the Russian mainland farther east showed a steady gain. While Russia has been going all-out to attack Ukraine’s infrastructure, its risky move to deploy ships and submarines armed with Kalibr missiles in the Black Sea is exposing them to potential Ukrainian attack. It is a tacit acknowledgment that Russia can no longer depend on Crimean ports and launch sites.

Ukraine’s success has been due to domestically produced missiles and drones, sometimes launched using Zodiac boats or jet skis. But its most potent attacks have come from the air, where Ukraine has used its Soviet-era fighter aircraft to launch both domestically produced and NATO-supplied missiles. These attacks have taken place with the protection of Ukraine’s advanced air defenses—including newly supplied foreign ones—which are regularly shooting down the majority of Russian missiles and drones destined for Ukrainian targets.

Ukraine thus has made significant strides denying Russia control of both the sea and airspace over and around its territory, thereby preventing the Russian Navy and Air Force from operating with impunity. But is that enough for Kyiv to win? To many Western observers, victory doesn’t seem possible in the face of wave after wave of Russian troops grinding down Ukrainian defenders. Ukraine’s strategy to deny Russia free use of its sea and airspace may be working, but as things stand, it cannot defeat the Russian army on the ground, nor can it defend against every missile striking civilian targets.

Indeed, the current conventional wisdom in large parts of the West is that Ukraine is losing the ground war, leaving no pathway to victory for the country as Russia pounds Ukrainian civilians into submission. Kyiv might as well call for a cease-fire and sue for peace.

The trouble with this scenario is that it spells defeat not only for Ukraine, but also for the United States and its allies in Europe and Asia. It would embolden both Russia and China to pursue their political, economic, and security objectives undeterred—including the seizure of new territory in Eastern Europe and Taiwan.

But is the conventional wisdom right—or does Ukraine’s clever success at sea and in the air suggest that a different outcome is possible? Perhaps the Russian army can be defeated by making use of Ukraine’s willingness to fight in new ways. If you asked a U.S. military professional, the key to dislodging the Russians is to subject them to relentless and accurate air attacks that are well synchronized with the maneuver of combined arms forces on the ground. While the Ukrainians are admirably using the weapons at hand to strike Russian forces both strategically, as in Crimea, and operationally, as in hitting command and logistics targets, success at the tactical level has remained elusive. To achieve a tactical breakthrough on the ground front that leads to operational and strategic success, they will need to be more effective from the air.

For power from the air to be decisive in 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces must create temporary windows of localized air superiority in which to mass firepower and maneuver forces. Given the Ukrainians’ success in denying their airspace to Russia at points of their choosing, such windows are possible using the assets they already have at hand. More and better weapons tailored to this scenario would make them more successful across the entire front with Russia.

Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, acknowledges that to break out of the current positional stalemate—which favors Russia—and return to maneuver warfare, where Ukraine has an advantage, Ukrainian forces need air superiority, the ability to breach mine obstacles, better counter-battery capability, and more assets for electronic warfare. Specifically, he argues for three key components. First, armed UAVs that use real-time reconnaissance to coordinate attacks with artillery (which could include properly armed Turkish-built TB2s, MQ-1C Gray Eagles, MQ-9 Reapers, or bespoke cheap and light UAVs capable of employing the necessary weapons). Second, armed UAVs to suppress enemy air defenses, as well as medium-range surface-to-air missile simulators to deter Russian pilots. And third, unmanned vehicles to breach and clear mines.

Although the technologies are new, this combination of capabilities recalls the method U.S. and allied NATO forces practiced during the Cold War in West Germany to confront numerically superior Warsaw Pact ground forces protected by layered air defenses. The Joint Air Attack Team (JAAT) was developed to synchronize attack helicopters, artillery, and close air support by fighter planes to ensure a constant barrage of the enemy in case of a ground force attack. Pooling NATO assets in this way was designed to give the alliance’s forces the mass, maneuverability, and flexibility needed to overcome superior numbers, avoid a war of attrition, and escape the type of bloody slugfest that characterizes the current stalemate in Ukraine.

In Ukraine’s case, a modernized JAAT would encompass, among many things, armed UAVs carrying Maverick and Hellfire missiles, loitering munitions, precision-guided artillery shells, and extended-range standoff missiles fired by aircraft. These systems would be coordinated in an electromagnetic environment shaped by Ukrainian operators to dominate the local airspace, saturate the battlefield with munitions, and clear mines to open the way for a ground assault. This updated JAAT—let’s call it electronic, or eJAAT—would create a bubble of localized air superiority that would advance as the combined arms force advances under the bubble’s protection.

Given Russia’s willingness to endure significant casualty rates, the eJAAT could be even more effective on defense: Massing firepower against advancing troops through an eJAAT might result in a stunning rout of the attackers, opening opportunities for Ukraine to strategically exploit the sudden change of fortunes.

Zaluzhny has made it publicly clear that “the decisive factor will be not a single new invention, but will come from combining all the technical solutions that already exist.” Like all good commanders, Zaluzhny is painfully aware that the 2023 campaign didn’t work as well as he had intended. Even so, and to their advantage, the Ukrainians have clearly demonstrated their innovative talents, willingness to exploit Western methods, and total commitment to victory. U.S. and European assistance to work with them on how to better manage operational complexity and combine technology, information, and tactics in more dynamic ways, coupled with security assistance tailored to the eJAAT approach, would return movement to the now-static battlefield and give Ukraine a fighting chance.

If Ukraine can achieve the momentum in the ground war that evaded it during its failed summer offensive, Kyiv will have a real pathway to victory. That pathway will run through Ukraine’s demonstrated prowess at sea and in the air, joined to an embrace of a sophisticated combination of techniques on the ground. It will be a pathway to victory not only for Ukraine, but also for the United States and its allies.

[trustednewstribune]

Ukraine attack hits Russian warship at Black Sea base

Russia said it had repelled an attempted attack on the base by the Ukrainian armed forces "with the use of two unmanned sea boats".

Ukraine carried out a drone strike on a Russian navy ship at a Black Sea base, a Ukraine security source told AFP Friday, as Moscow said it had repelled a similar attack over annexed Crimea.

The number of attacks in the Black Sea has increased from both sides since Moscow exited a deal last month that had allowed Ukrainian grain exports via the shipping hub during the conflict between the two countries.

In a video of the purported attack obtained by AFP, a naval drone is seen speeding towards the darkened silhouette of a military vessel before the connection abruptly cuts off.

A Ukrainian attack targeting the Olenegrorsky Gornyak landing ship in the Novorossiysk naval base in southern Russia was "successful", a Ukrainian security source said.

"The goal was to show that Ukraine can attack any Russian warship in that zone," the source added.

Russia said it had repelled an attempted attack on the base by the Ukrainian armed forces "with the use of two unmanned sea boats".

Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been targeted since the beginning of Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine more than a year ago, but attacks have increased in recent weeks.

"Another Russian ship is on the edge of its fall," the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on social media, alongside a video of a military vessel listing heavily to one side.

"The presence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea... will be put to an end," Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said following the most recent drone strike.

"Ukraine will ensure freedom and security in the Black Sea for world trade."

The port of Novorossiysk also hosts the terminus of a pipeline that carries most Kazakh oil exports through Russia.

The fuel artery's operator Caspian Pipeline Consortium said it was continuing to ship oil to moored tankers at the terminal, Russian state media reported Friday.

Crimea attack

The Russian defence ministry meanwhile said it had downed 13 drones over the Crimean peninsula, without recording casualties or damage.

Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, has been targeted by Kyiv throughout Moscow's Ukraine offensive but has seen more intense attacks in recent weeks.

Ukrainian drone strikes on Crimea in July blew up an ammunition depot and damaged a strategic and symbolic bridge linking Russia's mainland to the peninsula.

Earlier this week, Russia's defence ministry said it foiled a Ukrainian drone attack targeting patrol boats in the Black Sea.

Three drones were trained on ships navigating in waters 340 kilometres (210 miles) southwest of Sevastopol, the base of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea.

Also announced Friday was Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's visit to a combat zone in Ukraine to inspect a command post and meet senior military officers.

Shoigu got an update on the situation on the front and "thanked commanders and soldiers... for successful offensive operations" in Lyman in eastern Ukraine, the army said, without mentioning when the visit took place.

Frontline under microscope

Shoigu last visited the front at the end of June after an aborted rebellion by the Russian paramilitary group Wagner fighting along with Moscow's forces in Ukraine.

Ukraine began its long-awaited counteroffensive in the same month but has made modest advances in the face of stiff resistance from Russian forces on the front line.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the counteroffensive was difficult, reporting "very violent" fighting in the key areas on the eastern and southern fronts.

Late summer and early autumn 2022, Ukraine retook swathes of territory around Kherson and Kharkiv in rapid counteroffensives.

But Ukrainian forces are now contending with well-entrenched Russian defensive positions built over several months.

In the southern sector, Ukrainian troops were "gradually but persistently moving forward", deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar said on Telegram.

[jenniferlinda76]

The Black Sea Becomes a Drone Battleground: Ukraine's Naval Innovation Against Russia

The Black Sea, a vital waterway for trade and military power projection, has become a new frontier in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. While traditional naval forces still clash, a surprising innovation has emerged: Ukrainian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), specifically designed for maritime operations, are taking aim at Russian vessels and infrastructure.expand_more This technological twist has reshaped the conflict, impacting everything from military strategy to the critical grain exports from Ukrainian ports.exclamation

The Rise of the Ukrainian Naval Drone

Prior to the war, Ukrainian-made naval drones to target Russian vessels possessed a limited naval capability compared to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.expand_more However, necessity has spurred innovation. Ukrainian engineers swiftly adapted commercially available drones for maritime use, creating what are now known as Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USVs) or simply naval drones.expand_more These are typically smaller, faster, and more maneuverable than traditional warships, making them difficult targets. Their compact size also allows them to operate closer to shore, exploiting blind spots in Russian radar.

The exact capabilities of these drones remain somewhat shrouded in secrecy for operational reasons. However, reports suggest they come in various configurations, some carrying surveillance equipment for reconnaissance missions, while others are equipped with explosive payloads for offensive actions. One reported design, the "Sea Strike" drone, utilizes a modified jet ski hull for propulsion and can carry a substantial warhead. Another, the "UJ-23 Topaz," is a larger drone capable of longer-range missions and potentially carrying heavier weapons.

Shifting Tides: Drone Attacks on Russian Forces

The first major reported use of Ukrainian naval drones came in October 2022, targeting Russian ships near the Crimean Peninsula.expand_more Since then, these UAVs have become a constant threat to Russian military boats naval operations.expand_more Ukrainian officials have claimed success in sinking or damaging several Russian vessels, including landing ships, patrol boats, and even a minesweeper. While some of these claims remain unverified, video footage has emerged showing Ukrainian drones striking Russian targets, showcasing their effectiveness.exclamation

The impact of these drone attacks extends beyond the physical destruction of ships. Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been forced to adapt its tactics, increasing patrols and deploying electronic countermeasures to disrupt drone control signals.expand_more This heightened state of alert restricts their ability to freely operate in the Black Sea, hindering vital logistical and military operations.exclamation Furthermore, the psychological impact on Russian sailors cannot be understated. The constant threat of unseen aerial attack adds a new layer of danger to their operations.

Drone Warfare and the Future of the Black Sea

The development and deployment of Ukrainian naval drones represent a significant shift in the Black Sea conflict.expand_more It highlights Ukraine's ability to adapt and innovate in the face of a superior foe. Moreover, it showcases the potential of relatively low-cost, readily available drone technology to disrupt traditional naval power structures. This could have implications for future conflicts around the globe, as other nations consider the potential of similar drone programs.

However, the drone war in the Black Sea is far from over. Russia will undoubtedly continue its efforts to counter these UAVs, potentially developing drone defenses or even deploying its own offensive drones. The effectiveness of Ukrainian drones will also depend on their ability to maintain technological advantage and secure a steady supply of replacement units.

The Grain Lifeline and the Impact on Ukrainian Ports

The war in the Black Sea has had a devastating impact on Ukrainian ports, initially grinding grain exports to a halt.expand_more These exports are crucial for global food security, with Ukraine being a major supplier of wheat and corn.expand_more The disruption to these exports has contributed to rising food prices worldwide. While the recent resumption of grain exports through a UN-brokered deal offers a glimmer of hope, the situation remains precarious.exclamation

Ukrainian ports haven't been directly targeted by Ukrainian drones.exclamation However, the overall insecurity in the Black Sea due to the ongoing conflict continues to disrupt shipping operations. Minesweeping efforts are ongoing, and the threat of further drone attacks looms large. A full return to pre-war export levels is unlikely until a lasting peace agreement is reached.

Conclusion: A Technological Frontier in a Complex Conflict

The use of Ukrainian-made naval drones in the Black Sea marks a turning point in the ongoing war. These innovative UAVs have challenged Russia's dominance in the region and forced them to adapt their tactics. The conflict highlights the growing importance of drone technology in modern warfare, with potential implications for future conflicts.expand_more However, the situation remains fluid, with the future of the Black Sea and its vital shipping lanes hanging in the balance. The resolution of the war and the fate of Ukrainian grain exports will depend on the continued effectiveness of Ukrainian drone technology, Russia's response, and the ability to find a lasting peace.