Sophisticated and deadly sea drones are used by Ukraine and the Houthis on the battlefield. (Photo: AP)
JAKARTA – Marine drones have recently succeeded in attracting attention after successfully sinking Russian warships in the Black Sea and causing trouble for America in the Red Sea. The size of this unmanned vehicle is relatively small but its load is full of explosives.
Advanced and deadly sea drones deployed by Ukraine in the war against Russia have opened a new chapter in the fight. Ukraine claims to be the first country to set up a special unit to produce it.
Houthi Yemen-based drones have also deployed unmanned boats as suicide drone boats that explode when they hit ships in the Red Sea.
What is a marine drone?
Unmanned ships or marine drones have had a variety of applications over the years. These devices have been used for scientific research, search and rescue operations, surveillance, and coastal patrols. Ukraine modified it and loaded it with explosives. These sleek vessels speed across the water’s surface, leaving a trail of white foam, and have a low radar signal that makes them difficult to detect.
Equipped with GPS and advanced cameras
Reporting from 9News, Wednesday (6/3/2024), the Magura V5 sea drone used by Ukraine in the Black Sea has a length of 5.5 meters, a weight of up to 1,000 kilograms, a range of up to 800 kilometers, a battery life of 60 hours, and a payload of 200 kilograms. .
Another drone that is larger than Magura, called Sea Baby, is capable of carrying 850 kilograms of explosives, reaches a top speed of 90 km/h, and can cover a distance of 1000 kilometers.
Naval drones are used to target Russian shipping and infrastructure in the Black Sea, which has both Russian and Ukrainian coastlines. Ukraine says the drones have sunk and damaged Russian ships there.
Kyiv officials say about 20 percent of Russia’s missile attacks on Ukraine were launched from the Black Sea. They said the Ukrainian fleet lost 80 percent of its ships following Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014.
Ukrainian Navy drones first attacked Russian ships in October 2022 when they hit vessels anchored off the coast of occupied Crimea.
Last July, Russia said two Ukrainian maritime drones hit the Kerch Bridge, a key supply route connecting Russia to Crimea, forcing its temporary closure. Unconfirmed reports said a Sea Baby drone was used in the attack. The following month, Ukrainian naval drones attacked Russian ports and damaged warships, officials said.
