Ukraine is expanding the attack range of its unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to strike Russian targets on the Dnieper River and its tributaries. USV operations in Kiev have previously targeted enemy shipping, warships and infrastructure, attacks made famous by the country’s State Security Service (SBU) and Defense Intelligence Agency (GUR).
Meanwhile, as Russia begins building its own unmanned surface craft, Ukraine said it attacked a storage site for the vessels on Tuesday night in a pre-emptive strike to prevent them from being deployed.
The 40th Coast Defense Brigade of the 30th Marine Corps recently released a video showing the Barracuda unmanned surface vehicle it developed performing tasks in the Dnipro area. The video purports to show the Barracuda passing through an inlet before ramming a small camouflaged Russian ship and outpost. The video then cuts to aerial drone footage showing the explosion and resulting destruction.
“The Barracuda unmanned ship once again successfully performed a mission,” the Marine Corps said on Telegram.
Много говорят про БЭКи “Магура” от ГУР МО Украины и Sea Baby от СБУ, хотя СОУ применяют и другие средства, не так часто показывающие свою результативную работу в эфирах всяких там”марафончиков”.
According to the 30th Marines, the Barracuda USV is operated by the special forces unit of the same name.
“The special forces unit of the same name, attached to the 40th Marine Brigade, independently designed and launched a waterborne drone that is already defending the Ukrainian coast,” the Corps explained.
A Barracuda unmanned surface vessel designed and operated by the 30th Ukrainian Marine Corps. (Screenshot of 30th Marine Corps)
Launched earlier this year, the Barracuda is designed to perform multiple missions, including one-way attacks, grenade and first-person view (FPV) drone strikes, and resupply, according to the Marine Corps.
Ukrainian Barracuda unmanned surface vehicle equipped with a launcher. (Screenshot of 30th Marine Corps)
This modular design is similar to the Sea Baby USV produced by SBU and the Magura series USV operated by GUR, which frequently launch attacks in the Black Sea. In addition to being used as one-way attack weapons, Ukraine’s previously deployed unmanned surface boats have also shot down jets and helicopters and launched attacks using aerial drones. The attack has stranded Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, forcing it to retreat from Crimea to Novorossiysk. Ukrainian drones also damaged enemy military installations in occupied Crimea and the Kerch Bridge.
One of GUR’s Magura-7 USVs. (Ghur) Gur
However, unlike Ukraine’s long-range unmanned surface vehicles, the Barracuda is not equipped with satellite communications.
“As such, it has a limited range and is mainly suitable for short-range missions between the islands of the Dnieper River, which corresponds to the area of operations of the 40th Coast Defense Brigade,” Ukraine United 24 media pointed out.
The unit claimed that the Barracuda is partially guided by artificial intelligence, but did not provide any details.
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The Ukrainian Marine Corps has unveiled a new riverine naval drone – the Barracuda.
Built by the 40th Coast Defense Brigade, it is modular, artificially intelligent and tailor-made for the Dnipro Island War: mining channels, grenade launcher strikes and supply positions. pic.twitter.com/0a11OsO7R5
Overall, the Barracuda appears to be cheaper and simpler in design, better optimized for low-priority targets in rivers and shallow coastal areas. What is interesting is the lack of a satellite communications system, as control of the vessel must be provided locally, within sight of the vessel, or at least within the sight of a repeater, such as a drone flying overhead. The ship can also autonomously follow waypoint navigation, but precision attacks in complex waterways will be a challenge for this operational concept.
The Barracuda attack is part of the fighting that has raged on the Dnieper River, its inlets and islands since Ukraine recaptured the city of Kherson in November 2023. Neither side has been able to launch a large-scale cross-river attack because of the difficulty of crossing the water under drone and artillery fire, so both sides have been jockeying for position in the area on a much smaller scale.
The success of Ukraine’s unmanned surface craft has not gone unnoticed by Russia. Earlier this year, Moscow carried out a drone attack on a Ukrainian naval surveillance ship at the mouth of the Danube River. The incident marked the first confirmed use of these weapons by Russia. In addition to building its own drone ships, Russia has created specialized units to operate them. You can read more about the development of Russian USVs in our story.
The video below shows a Russian drone attack on a Ukrainian ship in August.
Although there has been no confirmed attack by a Russian drone since August, Ukraine remains concerned about the possibility of future attacks.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claimed on Wednesday that “as part of the systematic weakening of the military and economic potential of the Russian aggressors, on the evening of December 24, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out successful strikes against multiple enemy targets.” “Unmanned ship storage and maintenance sites in the temporarily occupied Mirnyi region of Ukraine’s Crimea were attacked.”
Ukraine said it launched an attack on a Russian drone ship storage and maintenance facility in Mirny, Crimea. (Google Earth)
The General Staff did not provide any visual evidence of the results of the attack and said the extent of the damage was still being determined.
While Ukraine’s Barracuda drones have yet to conduct attacks against high-value targets, the drones provide Kiev’s beleaguered military with another weapon they can use to help defend its internal waterways.
