US Army uses Ukrainian Magura naval drones during exercises – Bloomberg
American special operations forces have tested Ukrainian Magura naval drones during exercises in the Philippines, using them against a target vessel.
Source: Bloomberg
Details: US military personnel tested Ukrainian-made Magura-class unmanned surface vehicles in the Indo-Pacific region for the first time. The naval drone hit a decommissioned target vessel and sank it.
The US military is testing unmanned drones in search of a low-cost counter to large vessels in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including in a potential operation to defend Taiwan from China, Bloomberg explains.
Interest in naval unmanned surface vehicles from the company UFORCE also arose from their successful use against Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
UFORCE co-founder Oleh Rohynskyi told the American outlet that Ukrainian Magura naval drones have sunk around 10 Russian military vessels since the start of the full-scale war.
"He said his company is in discussions with countries around the Indo-Pacific about the vessels and is looking at building at least two manufacturing facilities in the region," Bloomberg writes.
In May of last year, Ukrainian intelligence officially presented combat naval drones from UFORCE – the MAGURA V5 and MAGURA V7 – which have been used in operations against Russia.
The MAGURA V5 features swarm operation capability, automatic target tracking, multi-channel satellite communications, thermal imaging cameras and the ability to mount a machine gun combat module. It can carry up to 320 kg of explosives and work autonomously for up to 48 hours. It is the fastest boat in the family, capable of reaching speeds of up to 90km/h when fully loaded.
The MAGURA V7 is equipped with an acoustic environmental monitoring system and, with a generator, can remain at sea for up to seven days. Its distinguishing feature is integrated air defence: AIM-9/R-73 missiles or a machine gun module. It can also be used as a kamikaze vessel if needed. The V7 also has a significantly greater range than other drones in the family – 1,500 km.
UFORCE has also equipped the Magura military naval drones with anti-drone interceptors.
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