Russia to test unmanned boats in Ukraine

Manufacturer KMZ announced that it is preparing to deliver a series of unmanned boats to the Russian army and they will be tested during the campaign in Ukraine.

"The Russian Defense Ministry has agreed to receive 10 unmanned surface vessels (USVs) of the Vizir type, the first of which will be delivered by the end of this year and tested in special operations," Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant (KMZ) CEO Mikhail Danilenko said on November 26.

This is a rare time that Russia has announced the use of unmanned boats in the war in Ukraine, after Kiev achieved many achievements in this field and manufactured many suicide boat models that caused great losses to Russian warships in the Black Sea.

The prototype of the Vizir unmanned boat was displayed by KMZ in June. Photo: RIA Novosti — The prototype of the Vizir unmanned boat was displayed by KMZ in June. Photo: *RIA Novosti*

Vizir is a multi-purpose unmanned boat that can perform a variety of missions such as patrolling, attacking, transporting troops and goods, and conducting hydrographic surveys. The hybrid electric motor allows Vizir to operate within a radius of 600 km in economy mode, or 200 km when accelerating to 80 km/h.

The boat is made of fiberglass, has a payload of about 500-600 kg, and can be equipped with machine guns, light missiles, small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launchers and anti-enemy unmanned aerial vehicle complexes.

Director Danilenko added that Vizir can also be equipped with hundreds of kilograms of explosives and become a suicide boat if necessary. The area of the deployment of this type of boat in Ukraine has not been announced.

Ukraine has recently increased its use of suicide boats to attack expensive Russian warships in the Black Sea region. The effectiveness of suicide boats makes it considered a weapon that can change the situation of war at sea.

Meanwhile, Russia rarely deploys this type of weaponry to attack its enemies, mainly relying on warships to launch cruise missiles. The first and only time Russia has publicly disclosed the use of unmanned boats was in an attack on a key railway bridge in the southern Ukrainian province of Odessa in February.

The situation of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Graphics: WP

Deploying armed drone boats would allow Russia to limit casualties among its water patrols, while increasing its ability to strike key enemy locations in Odessa and Mykolaiv provinces, as well as along the banks of the Dnieper River that Kiev is trying to cross.

Vu Anh (According to RIA Novosti, Drive )

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