Kirby, at the time, also added that the US is willing to provide additional training on any systems (which could include this particular USV) so their military can explore a wide range of attack and defense options.
“And I don’t want to speculate right now and I don’t want to get ahead of where we are. As you saw we took advantage of some of the Ukrainians that were in the United States for some previously scheduled training to get them trained up on Switchblades. We are looking at options for additional Switchblade training and where and when that might occur and how we would do that. And certainly, one option that would be available to us would be to utilize troops that are closer to Ukraine, obviously troops that are on NATO’s eastern flank. And that still remains an open — an open option to us.”
However, there’s also a possibility that this is not a US-donated USV. The Ukrainians are known for being opportunistic when it comes to their repairs. It is possible that this USV is an anti-ship improvised USV. Users have pointed out that the domes on its nose could be contact detonators that can explode after hitting a large object. The Ukrainians can simply set a singular trajectory point and attack Russian ships without being detected. Though because of its size, we could not verify the type of possible explosive it could house.
Then, there’s also the bow. The structure could possibly imply a laser sensor that has a close firing range to help estimate the distance of the target.
As for its navigation, Navy Recognition notes that it is most likely controlled both manually using onboard TV cameras via a satellite channel.
It is clear from the markings in English that they were transferred by Western countries. The supply of unmanned maritime vehicles for the needs of the AFU was mentioned a couple of months ago, but the type of possible equipment was not named.
Before that, there was information about MANTAS T-Series Unmanned Surface Vessels (USV). Perhaps a prototype was passed over because the drone found near the coast has the same dimensions, camera location, material, and color as the MARTAC production.
This drone is not similar to those already in service with any of the NATO countries and have [sic] been presented before. It is possible that a new type of weapon will be produced specifically for the AFU.
In addition, it could be the use of existing secret designs, such as American ones. And the conflict in Ukraine is an ideal opportunity to test them in combat conditions.
For now, we do not have a confirmation of this “drone boat.” What do you think? Share your comments below.
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