(Dan Tri) – The Ukrainian Navy Commander said that Kiev’s tactics of raiding with unmanned boats targeting Russian targets in the Black Sea last year will no longer be effective in 2024.
Wreckage of Ukraine’s unmanned suicide boat (Photo: Rybar).
`When we use unmanned boat technology, the enemy will develop countermeasures. Some tricks and tactics that were effective in 2022 and 2023, will no longer be effective in 2024,` Deputy
`So we need to change tactics, adjust the specifications of everything we do,` Mr. Neizhpapa said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has recently reported on successful attempts to prevent Ukrainian suicide unmanned boats in the Black Sea, such as the case of a Russian high-speed patrol boat shooting down a Ukrainian unmanned boat on December 30, 2023.
These incidents highlight the challenges the Ukrainian Navy faces in maintaining the effectiveness of its unmanned maritime capabilities.
In response to Ukraine’s unmanned boats, Russia has implemented a series of defensive measures, most notably the installation of barriers at harbor entrances.
These barriers are said to be relatively effective in preventing Ukrainian unmanned boats from entering the harbor.
Russia is also deploying military aircraft to hunt for Ukrainian unmanned boats.
Vice Admiral, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Oleksii Neizhpapa (Photo: Ukrainska Pravda).
Specialized units stationed in Crimea, including helicopters such as the Mi-8 Hip and Ka-27, are also often deployed to intercept Ukrainian boats with rockets and machine guns.
In addition, high-value Russian ships, including weapons transporters as well as government tankers, are now escorted by patrol ships and destroyers during their crossings of the Black Sea.
The Ukrainian Navy Commander emphasized the inevitability of `drone war`.
Mr. Neizhpapa emphasized that if Ukraine depends only on unmanned boats, it will not be able to `win` at sea.
`If you simply change the entire fleet to unmanned boats, you will not win. It is like the army giving up tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, guns and everything else,`
`You can only declare a territory as yours when your infantry or marines stand on it,` said the Ukrainian Navy Commander.
Nick John