Ukraine has combined two of its most prominent weapons to target Russian air defence systems behind frontlines with an unorthodox way of seaborne land attack.
The FPV kamikaze UAVs taking off from specialised bays of the USV struck Osa-AKM and Strela-10 type low-altitude air defence systems near the shoreline.
Four bays to carry the FPVs are seen in the footage. It is also likely that the USV has been integrated with communication relay equipment so that the operators can control the FPVs through the USV. Ukraine is no stranger to relay-supported FPVs, as there have been multiple instances of mothership UAVs dropping relaying controls to the smaller FPVs used in combat.
Ukraine has devised various ways to utilise its fleet of USVs throughout the war, which started as a kamikaze force to strike Russian warships. The first branching of its USVs was the integration of 122 mm Grad artillery rockets to fire forward at short range. This application bears some similarities in philosophy with torpedo boats, except for a faster and lighter payload striking slightly above the waterline.
One significant achievement in fielding alternative USV configurations is a Magura-type USV fitted with Soviet-era R-73 air-to-air missiles on a fixed launcher, shooting down a Mi-8 helicopter. It was observed that Ukraine registered the onboard EO/IR system as a helmet-mounted sight to the guidance system, as helmet-mounted sights can cue R-73 during high-off boresight engagements.
