Ukraine may launch UAV attack on Russian base by river

Ukraine's unmanned surface fleet is expanding with the arrival of a new, smaller vessel dedicated to riverine warfare to counter Russia's presence on vital waterways.

According to United24 Media, a government -run news website focused on Ukraine, Ukrainian company NoviTechNe launched a new one-meter-long USV called Ursula this month.

This multi-functional system is said to be able to conduct reconnaissance on rivers, act as a floating mine or as a drone carrier to launch a two-kilogram, first-person drone from the water.

This compact USV can carry a 2kg drone. Photo: Association of Ukrainian Engineers

In the video released by the manufacturer, the Navy drone is seen moving through riverside vegetation while carrying what appears to be a small FPV drone.

Ursula is not the first USV of this type that Ukrainian companies have tested.

Over the winter, Brave1, a government defense technology center tasked with preparing new capabilities for the field, reported that the Ukrainian military was testing the Black Widow 2. The system, also about a meter long, has a reported payload of 03kg and a range of 10km.

The hallmarks of these river drones are their compact size and low profile, especially when compared to the much larger USVs that Ukraine typically uses, such as the Magura and Seababy variants, which measure up to six meters.

The Black Widow 2 USV is equipped with a camera on a 2-axis rotating platform. Photo: Suspilne

“Ukraine’s focus on developing these USVs stems from the need to counter Russian activities along the Dnipro River basin, especially in the Kherson region – they have to develop specific capabilities and units to navigate the vast canal network and attack the enemy,” said Federico Borsari, transatlantic defense fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

For example, Ukrainian forces could use these launchers to carry and launch FPVs from remote locations near Russian positions along the lower Dnipro River or even to attack slower enemy supply ships.

USV Ursula undergoes testing before series delivery.

According to Borsari, the smaller size of these USVs, although at the expense of larger payload capacity, is better suited to river channels because they can be more flexible and maneuverable for stealthy defense and attack missions.

He argues that size is the most important metric when developing systems that operate in shallow waters.

Rivers like the Dnipro, which runs 981 km through Ukraine, played a central role throughout the war, acting as natural lines of defense. River bridges were key targets and choke points that both sides tried to exploit.

Operating on rivers also presents its own tactical challenges. These often include natural obstacles such as sandbars, vegetation, tree branches or tall bushes, making navigation more difficult and vulnerable to interference. Water levels also change frequently, making navigation unpredictable.

Militarnyi

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