When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, at least 100 Ukrainian Navy vessels, representing 75% of the Ukrainian naval fleet, were captured by Russian forces. In the Russian invasion of 2022, much of the remaining fleet was destroyed or scuttled to prevent capture.
Rebuilding naval power with a war going on is daunting at best. Lacking a secure industrial base, the Ukrainians are relying on ingenuity and technology rather than steel fabrication to strike back at the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Most notably, Ukrainian naval drones are redefining warfare in the Black Sea.
In addition to aerial drones and shore-to-ship missiles, the Ukrainians have developed naval drones with formidable ranges and increasing lethality. These drones are explosive uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) that have been used to attack Russian ships and shore infrastructure.
The Navy Lookout reports that notable USV strikes have included the attack on ships in Sevastopol harbor in October 2022. The frigate RFS Makarov was attacked, although put up a strong defense and appears to have escaped damage but the minehunter RFS Ivan Golubets was struck.
The second major strike of the war on the Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to Russia appears to have been carried out by detonating a USV under the bridge on July 16, 2023.
In early August, the Ukrainians used a MAGURA V5 naval drone to attack the Russian Navy’s amphibious landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak. The ship was damaged and needed to be towed to a dry dock for repairs. A day later a second drone struck the Russian-flagged tanker Sig, significantly damaging the ship while still not sinking her.
The MAGURA V5 naval drone has an 18-foot-long hull with a beam of 4.9 feet and a freeboard of only 1.6 feet, making the drone difficult to spot. The MAGURA V5 has a cruising speed of 22 knots and a top speed of 42 knots. With a range of 450 nautical miles and a high explosive payload of over 700 pounds, the unmanned suicide drone is capable of packing a considerable punch over long distances.
In addition to surface drones, the Ukrainian group Brave-1 has shown their Toloka weaponized UUV (uncrewed underwater vehicle). H I Sutton suggests that the design is intended to operate as a form of loitering torpedo. With production slated to commence shortly, the Toloka TLK-150 could soon become a game-changer in underwater operations.
The design consists of a typical tubular body but with a large keel and horizontal stabilizers amidships. Thrusters are mounted on the end of each horizontal stabilizer. Intuitively, these are used for steering as well as propulsion. This should allow significant agility. If the mast is always above water then, technically, you could argue that it’s a semi-submersible. In this case however that distinction may be unhelpful. It’s a weaponized UUV.