Partner of the Military Tech chapter?

In the night from January 31 to February 1, the GUR conducted a successful operation and destroyed the missile boat “Ivanovets” of the Black Sea Fleet. The value of the destroyed vessel varies from 60 to 70 million dollars, and the crew consists of 40 people. This is one of many naval trophies during the full-scale war with Russia. And thanks to new developments, the number of ships in the enemy fleet will only decrease. Next, we tell how modern armies fight on water, what the fleet consists of, and what experience the Ukrainian army has.

History of naval battles

Conducting military operations on land and water have strong differences. First, on land, the military operates in different areas with different terrain (desert, mountains, forests). Depending on this, the necessary equipment and means of camouflage are chosen, and operations on water are carried out in large open spaces. This increases vulnerability to attacks from both air and underwater enemy forces. Despite the differences, mankind has learned to fight in all conditions, and therefore history knows many great battles, and the geography of some countries has made them leaders in the naval field.

For example, Great Britain has a long and distinguished history of a navy which, during the time of the empire, was one of the largest in the world. It was the British fleet that played a colossal role in the history of Europe, participating in major naval battles such as Trafalgar in 1805. During the First World War, Britain repeatedly demonstrated its dominance at sea, because it won the Falkland battle against the Germans and came out undefeated from the largest naval battle in world history, which is known as the Jutland battle. It involved 249 warships from both sides, and the battle itself lasted from May 31 to June 1, 1916.

Today, the most technologically advanced fleet is called the forces of the United States, which after the Second World War is considered a key player in the world naval arena. According to expert comparisons, the entire Black Sea fleet of the enemy is equal to the power of one American destroyer, of which there are now about 70 pieces of the Arleigh Burke type. In modern history, naval operations are conducted in various parts of the world. For example, in 2009, even the Ukrainian frigate “Hetman Sahaydachny” participated in the NATO operation “Ocean Shield” in the Gulf of Aden, which was aimed at countering pirates. During the full-scale invasion, the Defense Forces of Ukraine also conduct successful operations against the enemy, according to the media, six ships and boats of the Black Sea Fleet were destroyed in 2023 alone, and the most valuable loss for the enemy was the destruction of the cruiser “Moskva” in the spring of 2022. Then the flagship of the Russian fleet was hit by Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles and went to the bottom during an attempt to tow.

It is important to note that the loss of the “Moscow” is not only an important military victory, but also a symbolic event for world history, because the destruction of a ship of this level last occurred in 1982 during the armed confrontation between Great Britain and Argentina, when the Royal Navy destroyed an Argentine cruiser. General Belgrano.” It was also the first major fleet loss for the Russians since 1941, when German bombers destroyed the battleship Marat.

Other great trophies of the Ukrainian forces were the large landing ship “Minsk”, “Novocherkask”, the submarine “Rostov-on-Don”, the small missile ship “Askold” and the already mentioned missile boat “Ivanovets”. According to the British Defense Minister, 20% of the Black Sea Fleet was destroyed in just four months of 2023.

Modern weapons

In naval operations, it is not only logistics or force support that differs from military operations on land, but also the means used by the military. Today, modern armies have a powerful arsenal and build various types of ships.

For example, aircraft carriers and cruisers are used as bases for naval aviation and carry combat duty in different parts of the oceans. Missile destroyers and frigates work as platforms for missile systems and are capable of hitting various targets. For example, the United States of America is moving large aircraft carriers closer to the shores of Israel after the attack on the country by Hamas militants on October 7. Corvettes and boats are the smallest, but no less important in service. These are faster vessels that also carry weapons and perform a variety of patrol and security missions. It is important that the military is able to operate not only on, but also under water, because modern naval forces include submarines, which are used for reconnaissance and active combat.

In the technological field, the creation of small submarines remains the most interesting. There have been discussions about mini-submarines for quite some time, for example, back in 2018, Britain allocated funds for the purchase of similar devices from Teledyne Brown Engineering, an American company that manufactures submarines for US Navy SEALs.

In France, submarines of the Scorpene type are used as weapons. It is a joint development of France and Spain, a diesel-electric attack submarine that is ideally suited for operational tasks. It is considered quite durable and adapted for operations in shallow water, performs the entire range of missions for both offensive actions and intelligence gathering. Military-tech is actively working on marine unmanned aerial vehicles. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) claims that as of 2023, there are 134 types of naval UAVs in the world (117 are serial developments, 17 are experimental, but suitable for operations). In Istanbul, during the IDEF 2023 defense exhibition, Dearsan demonstrated a number of its projects – the LCSUB small submarine for amphibious landings, the HDA-700 small attack submarine, the AMT SEAL SUB small submarine for special operations forces and an unmanned variant under the name.

All such developments are quite innovative, but other models of drone fireplaces – ULAQ KAMA from Turkish METEKSAN and ARES Shipyard turned out to be ready for commercial order. The scope of application of these drones is not limited to direct attacks on naval targets, because they can be used for patrolling or reconnaissance. This suggests that if on land border protection can be done by automatic turrets, then sea drones can be on duty on water?

Ukrainian developments

The history of the Ukrainian Navy is quite complex, but the military prowess of Ukrainians has been known since the Cossack era. What is the history of the legendary warships called “Seagull” worth? They were used for fast movement on rivers and lakes, as well as for lightning attacks on enemy ships. In Zaporizhzhia, the museum keeps a restored exhibit of a real Seagull, which was raised from the bottom of the Dnieper in 2004.

The modern history of the Armed Forces Navy began after Ukraine gained independence, and Ukraine received its first warship in service as a result of the mutiny. In July 1992, captain-lieutenant Serhiy Nastenko, under the leadership of crew commander Mykola Zhibarev, drove the SKR-112 patrol ship from the base on Lake Donuzlav to Odessa. And those vessels, which Ukraine officially received in 1997 as a Soviet legacy, were abandoned and not ready to go to sea, although their number seemed large: the large submarine “Zaporizhia” (B-435), three frigates – “Sevastopol”, “Dnipropetrovsk”, “Mykolaiv”, corvettes “Odesa” and “Sumi”, naval minesweepers “Cherkasy” and “Zhovti Vody”, three missile boats, etc. Before the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, there were 1 frigate, 5 corvettes, 3 minesweepers, 2 amphibious assault ships, 1 submarine, and 49 auxiliary ships in service.

However, during the first year of the full-scale invasion, the Hetman Ivan Mazepa corvette, which was built in Turkey, entered service with the Ukrainian Navy, and in the fall of 2022, unmanned boats were used for the first time. To date, we already have three generations of marine drones that show incredible performance. In July 2023, the MAGURA V5 was presented at a defense exhibition in Turkey, and the representative of the third generation is the Sea baby drone. In the comments from the Security Service of Ukraine, it was the “Sea Babies” that hurt the Crimean bridge, they hit the amphibious assault ship “Olenyohirskyi Girnyk” and the SIG tanker. However, the enemy should be afraid not only of Ukrainian drones, because the GUR operation to liberate oil production platforms, which are better known as “Boika towers”, was carried out with the use of speed boats. Not only that the operation was successful and the platforms were freed from the occupiers, the scouts also started a battle with the Su-30 combat fighter, using MANPADS against it. In addition to the fact that Ukrainians skillfully use existing weapons, there are also those who create new means and apparatuses for fighting. For example, the inventors are currently looking for investment in the production of the Storm Boat. It is designed to transport personnel and cargo, has a sealed Kevlar hull and can accommodate up to 14 personnel or up to 2 tons of cargo.

The design of the boat includes 6 hatches for boarding and disembarking the crew, and thanks to the system of external cameras, the military will maintain a 360-degree view. The shape and material provide protection for the crew during transport, and the autopilot and surveillance system will minimize risks to personnel. At the same time, the small weight and dimensions simplify the transportation of the boat itself using a trailer or car. On the Brave Inventors platform, you can even find a “modern relative” of the Seagull – skid military kayaks. Their production is carried out by the Adamant Verf enterprise with many years of experience, which created both small boats and canoes, as well as boats and yachts. A kayak seems like a peculiar vessel, but it is quite an effective tool, especially for difficult combat conditions. To date, a version of the kayak has been created for the transportation of three people or two crew members and luggage. The total carrying capacity of the vessel is from 480 to 600 kg, and depending on the tasks, the kayak can be equipped with a 7.62 caliber machine gun or a 40 mm grenade launcher. During the course, the kayak is guided either by muscle power (oars) or by an electric motor with protection against collision with stones, concrete and bushes.

The manufacturer notes that the kayak itself is easy to transport and allows you to perform a wide range of combat missions: patrol and security missions, reconnaissance, mapping, evacuation, landing on water from a height of 5-10 m. The kayak can withstand repeated landings with a parachute or dropping without a parachute from a helicopter into the mission area from a height of more than 10 meters, and thanks to the high level of thermal insulation, it can be used in arctic conditions. On development, the company worked together with special forces, who helped to improve the technical component of the “Poloza”, and the engineers implemented the requirements for functionality and silence in the finished result – the “Poloza” had already managed to demonstrate their effectiveness during the operation on the Oskol River.

But there is a whole floating support at the prototyping stage. From composite concrete and polymer concrete, Ukrainians have created a project of a pontoon — a floating vehicle designed to guide crossings and transport any equipment across rivers. This development requires half the manpower to install, no trawl to move the crossing section and no tug to deliver. The pontoon is more effective on weak soils, makes less noise and is lowered into the water without the participation of special equipment.

Conclusions

In an interview with foreign media, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said: “Our combat experience, especially since 2022, is unique – but for the sake of victory, we must constantly look for new ways and new opportunities that will help us gain an advantage over the enemy.”

This is not the first year that the Ukrainian army has demonstrated combat prowess, and Ukrainian engineers are of the highest class of ingenuity. When a country without a developed fleet destroyed 20% of the enemy’s fleet, this is already a historical event. And when the Black Sea Fleet becomes completely underwater, it will become historical justice.

Partner of the Military Tech chapter?

Brave Inventors is a national platform of inventors and wartime inventions. Here you can place your military inventions, talk about developments and prototypes, find the necessary funding or a mentor, and also get more opportunities to cooperate with manufacturers, enterprises and businesses. You can support inventions by following the link.