A USV washed ashore in Crimea (Photo: Getty).
Sputnik reported on November 27 that the Russian Defense Ministry has agreed to deliver the first 10 USVs to the Russian Armed Forces by the end of this year.
"This will be the first experimental batch to be used in the area of special military operations," said Mikhail Danilenko, CEO of the Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant (KMZ). KMZ specializes in manufacturing marine engineering equipment for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
KMZ calls the devices “one-way boats” because they can operate similarly to suicide drones, Danilenko said, adding that they are difficult to detect due to their optimized design and size.
This USV can reach speeds of up to 80km/h, carry a payload of about 600kg and have an operating range of more than 200km, Mr. Danilenko added.
In recent months, USVs have become a particularly effective combat weapon on the Ukrainian battlefield. Kiev has used USVs to attack Russian targets in the Black Sea and off the coast of Crimea.
USVs are a cross between a jet ski and a canoe. They are generally intended to be much faster, more compact, and more precise than crewed vessels.
The first recorded use of USVs in Ukraine occurred in September 2022. In an October 13 raid, Ukraine’s experimental USVs damaged two Russian military vessels in Crimea. On October 29, Ukraine used USVs again in an attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Since then, Russia has begun to take the weapon seriously.
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