Are ‘kamikaze’ USVs a game changer in naval warfare?
On the night of 4–5 March 2024, Ukrainian USVs attacked a Russian Navy ship, the 94m-long 1,700 tonne Project 22160 Bykov-class patrol ship Sergei Kotov. Footage released by Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (GUR) showed images taken from a USV that indicated that the ship was hit three times by USVs. It was not clear, however, whether Sergei Kotov was sunk.
It was the latest in a string of USV attacks by so called ‘kamikaze’ or strike USVs that have resulted in significant damage to or sinking of Russian Navy ships in the Black Sea Fleet.
On 13 March, the GUR
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