Russian navy will use drones on its ship to counter Ukrainian naval drones

The Russian Navy will soon introduce a ship-launched kamikaze drone to help fend off increasing Ukrainian sea drone attacks on naval vessels.

Capable of being launched from the decks of ships and boats, the unidentified drone can strike both land and sea targets, Russia’s state-run Izvestia news outlet revealed, citing sources.

The Russian military considered the development of a ship-launched kamikaze drone following a 2021 military exercise involving the deployment of circuitous munitions (loitering) to provide cover for marines landing on a coast, Izvestia wrote in November 2021.

The deployment was considered particularly effective against “light boats and speedboats operated by saboteurs,” the newspaper wrote before the war in Ukraine, citing experts. V

Despite its advantages, military experts say the technology is difficult to master from a ship in a sea environment because of the lack of landmarks at sea.

“The main difference between land and sea is that there are no landmarks on the sea surface,” military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia. “And it is very difficult to control flight over water.”

He added that the platform’s advantages are numerous, including the ability to strike Ukrainian targets at sea without approaching the coast.

Marine drone attacks in Ukraine

Moscow had to appoint a new commander for the Russian Navy after a number of Russian ships were destroyed or damaged by Ukrainian drones since the start of the conflict. The Ukrainian navy has employed several variants of these weapons.

The russiaare ‘Malyuk’ (‘Sea Baby’), ‘Mamai’ (‘Mother’), and MAGURA (Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus). The first two are SBU/naval projects. The 385th Separate Brigade oversees them. MAGURA is a project of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) in cooperation with SpetsTechnoExport, a state-owned enterprise. They are managed by ‘Group 13’. In December, the SBU unveiled an upgraded ‘Cossack Mamai’ with a claimed maximum speed of 60 knots. Production of the various drones takes place in underground production facilities to avoid Russian targeting.