Russia has made significant progress in the development and application of unmanned vessels. This is stated in a review by the NATO Defense College.
The document notes that the Russian Armed Forces are responding to "changing global circumstances" and are widely introducing robotic systems. Marine drones are used in real combat operations.
NATO analysts believe that the Russians can use such combat means against the coastal infrastructure of a potential enemy. For example, Western ships, finding themselves in the waters of the Black Sea, will become targets for unmanned vessels, they suggested.
Boom in USVs
Russia is actively developing unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for civilian and military purposes. At the end of 2024, it became known about plans to build a unified center for the production of marine drones based on the "Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant" military-industrial holding in St. Petersburg. The volume of investments in the project will amount to about 2.7 billion rubles.
Read more materials on the topic:
- "Secret operations off the coasts of NATO member countries": Great Britain was frightened by the research vessel "Yantar"
- "The Russians are up to something": The NYT was frightened by the "new firepower" of marine drones of the Russian Navy
- A training ground for testing marine drones will be created in the Arkhangelsk region