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Maxim Berkal
Correspondent of the Finance Department
In early August, it became known about two successful attacks by Ukrainian security forces on Russian ships near Novorossiysk and the Kerch Strait. The first attack took place on August 4, when a large Russian landing ship, the Olenegorsky Gornyak, was hit, which received a serious hole, and with it the inability to perform combat missions.
Second attack occurred the next day , when the Russian oil tanker “Sig” was damaged, which, although it remained afloat, could no longer move without a tug. In short, one of the most powerful oil tankers of the Russian Federation was damaged in the engine room. According to preliminary information, the ship was “well loaded” with fuel.
Both attacks have at least one thing in common: they were carried out by naval surface drones, although our special services, together with the Navy, have been conducting similar operations since the fall of last year. For example, at the end of October last year, they hit the frigate “Admiral Makarov” and the naval minesweeper “Ivan Golubets” near the Sevastopol Bay.
As for the last two attacks, they were apparently carried out by Ukrainian-made drones. In the first case, the surface kamikaze ship MAGURA V5 of the new generation, which has a range of approximately 830 km (450 nautical miles) and carries 320 kg of explosives. Its length is 5.5 m and its width is 1.5 m.
In the second case, a drone was used that can carry up to 450 kg of TNT. Although, perhaps, it was the same MAGURA V5. This is not known at the moment. In any case, the aforementioned MAGURA V5 went into operation, apparently practically off the assembly line, because it was first presented at the IDEF 2023 defense exhibition only on July 25 – 10 days before its successful use.
This naval drone is not only designed for attacks and combat missions. It can also be used for surveillance, search and rescue, patrolling, mine countermeasures, etc. However, if you look at its size, you can ask a fair question: how can such a device slip unnoticed to hit enemy targets?
The answer is that the invisibility and maneuverability of the marine drone are ensured by a sleek profile and hydrodynamic hull (the height above the waterline is only 50 cm). At the same time, if we consider the radius of its action, we can see that this miracle invention is capable of operating in almost the entire Black Sea, reaching the entire coast of the Russian Federation in the region.
As for the maximum speed of 42 knots, in terms of kilometers it is almost 78 km/h. The cruising speed of the drone (the most advantageous speed with the lowest fuel consumption per kilometer) is 22 knots (40 km/h). The MAGURA V5 itself operates with minimal human intervention, reducing personnel mortality.
It is obvious that the MAGURA V5 has become a real success among Ukrainian developments. However, it would not hurt to recall that Ukraine began raising funds for the construction of the world's first fleet of unmanned attack drones back in November last year. At that time, such a campaign was advertised in his official telegram by President Volodymyr Zelensky.