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Ukrainian Drone Sinks Russian Drone Boat in Black Sea
Confirmed
In Short: On September 12, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence detected a Russian Orcan surface drone in the Black Sea and directed a Ukrainian Navy Sargan-3000 drone boat to intercept.
The Sargan-3000, armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun, engaged the Russian drone from a kilometer away, disabling its communications antenna and riddling it until it sank.
Naval analyst HI Sutton explained that the Russian Orcan drone is designed to ram targets and explode, often working in coordination with flying drones like the Russian Geran.
The Ukrainian Navy released footage showing the Sargan-3000 firing upon the Russian drone, marking the first known instance of a drone boat destroying another.
This engagement highlights the evolving tactics and capabilities of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) in the Black Sea, where both Ukraine and Russia have been targeting ports and ships.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that the capabilities of Ukrainian naval drones prevent Russian vessels from approaching Ukrainian shores.
The Sargan-3000 can reach speeds of 40 to 55 knots and travel up to 1,600 kilometers while carrying a payload of 450 kilograms, according to Ukrainian media.
In July, the Ukrainian Navy claimed that a Sargan-3000 successfully sank a Russian border patrol ship named the Izumrud, demonstrating the platform's versatility.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not acknowledged the alleged sinking of the drone boat, and the exact details of the engagement remain unverified.
The incident underscores the increasing role of USVs in modern warfare, with Ukraine deploying them effectively against Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
The video released by the Ukrainian Navy shows the Sargan-3000 acquiring the target and engaging it with its machine gun until the Russian drone sinks, stern first.
What this adds
This report adds details about the capabilities and evolution of Ukrainian Sargan-3000 drones, as well as the tactical implications of the first known USV vs. USV battle.
Sources have not established the exact date and location of the engagement beyond September 12, and the Russian Ministry of Defense has not acknowledged the incident.
Background
Ukraine has launched a significant drone attack on Moscow, damaging a key oil refinery and causing widespread disruption, as Russia retaliated with missile strikes.
Ukrainian officials claim a collaborator involved in Russia's fake referendums was killed in a drone strike, as Belarus reactivates equipment aiding Russian drones in Ukraine.
What's confirmed
- “Units of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) detected the target,” the Ukrainian Navy said in a Telegram post on September 12.
What's still developing
- This comes as the war in Ukraine has already seen widespread deployment of such uncrewed surface vessels in combat, along with swarms of flying attack drones and ground robots.
- In this case, the Russian drone was hunted down by a Ukrainian Sargan-3000 drone boat armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun mounted on a remote weapon station made by the Norwegian company Kongsberg.
- It is worth emphasizing that Ukrainian USVs began primarily as low-cost, explosive-laden platforms for striking ships, ports, and infrastructure, achieving significant sea denial against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
- The latest duel, however, shows USVs can also serve as hunter-killer, patrol, and counter-USV platforms—changing the tactics and rules of engagement in the contentious Black Sea.
- Seen here, a Ukrainian Sargan 3000 USV engages and sinks a Russian USV using its M2 Browning.50 HMG.
- The platform also supports a wide range of configurations, including the Kongsberg Protector remote weapon station (RWS) with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun used in the recent engagement, as well as rockets and first-person-view drones.
- “Ukrainian naval sailors sank the border guard ship of the 2nd rank with the Sargan-3000 maritime unmanned complex near Novorossiysk,” the Ukrainian Navy claimed in a Facebook post at the time.
- The incident took place somewhere in the Black Sea, said the Ukrainian Navy, which provided no details about when it happened or exactly where.
- Though initially designed as a kamikaze weapon, it evolved into a platform for remote-controlled weapons, according to the Russian AmalNews outlet.
- “The maritime drone features a specialized low-profile hull with distinctive hydrodynamic lines and is constructed from materials that reduce its radar signature,” the publication explained.
- The engagement is the latest iteration in the use of combat drone boats, which Ukraine has employed to devastating effect against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet vessels and facilities, forcing the general evacuation of Russian naval assets from occupied Crimea to bases in Russia proper.
- TWZ cannot independently verify this claim; however, we cannot find any evidence of a drone boat killing another drone boat in the past.
Sources
- Ars Technicalink
- Eurasiantimeslink
- Twzlink
- Independentlink
- WarpBeat — background on Ukrainian Forces Launch Major Drone Offensive on Moscow, Targeting Russian Oil Infrastructure link
- WarpBeat — background on Ukrainian Drone Strike Kills Russian Collaborator in Sham Referendum Region, Reports Say link
- ABC7 — video link