The Main Intelligence Directorate is testing surface drones to intercept Shahed drones over rivers
A secret unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine) is conducting tests of maritime drones on the Dnipro River. According to media reports, surface drones can be used not only as kamikaze drones but also as platforms for interceptor drones, particularly against Russian “Shahed” drones. Among the developments mentioned is the Katran X1.2 maritime drone.
According to the publication Welt, the drone was used in operations in the Black Sea last fall.
The drone, up to 9 meters long, is equipped with a 350-horsepower engine. It has a range of up to 1,600 km and can operate both as a kamikaze drone and as a multi-purpose transport vehicle. Its armament includes two R-73 short-range missiles capable of shooting down helicopters and fighter jets.
The drone can also launch up to 27 MAC Dead Fly interceptors. These drones are already capable of reaching speeds of up to 380 km/h (with 450 km/h expected in the future) and automatically homing in on a target, such as a Shahed, using AI. During the final kilometer, the drone can operate autonomously without operator control. The authors noted that Russia often launches Shaheds along river channels to make them harder to shoot down.
"The combination of unmanned surface drones and interceptors is a technological and tactical breakthrough in the history of modern warfare. It adds another element to Ukraine’s multi-layered air defense system and simultaneously opens up new possibilities in naval warfare. Drones can first attack enemy radar systems before the vessel itself becomes a weapon against oil platforms and naval vessels,” the article states.
The boat and the interceptor are controlled from a portable tent on the shore. The pilot uses video goggles and a remote control, while the boat operator uses a joystick. Operators can also control the Katran X1.2 remotely from anywhere in Ukraine.
The Main Intelligence Directorate showed how they cleared Stepnogorsk in Zaporizhzhia of Russian forces.
Russian troops continue intense assaults in the Kupiansk direction, but are currently unable to penetrate directly into Kupiansk.
The occupiers complain that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are cutting off the land corridor to Crimea with drones.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces eliminated another 1,020 Russian troops on the front lines over the past 24 hours.
