Strike operations against fuel infrastructure in Russian ports are carried out by the Ukrainian Defense Forces using Katran X1 drone boats. The German publication Welt published a report from the training site of such drones.
The training base of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is located in a “secluded secret place” on the Dnieper. The Ferrata special forces unit conducts maritime operations and is considered one of the most innovative in Ukraine, the newspaper writes.
The Katran X1.2 drone boat – the “cat shark” – has a length of 9 m, a 350 horsepower engine and a range of up to 1600 km. It can be used as a kamikaze drone, but is generally intended to be a multi-functional platform. The equipment includes two short-range R-73 missiles capable of shooting down helicopters and combat aircraft, Welt writes.
On March 25, he was presented on Telegram by the Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology. Information about missions with this drone is classified, but it “has become a real game changer at sea,” he wrote.
In addition, the boat is equipped with launchers for various aerial drones, including MAC Dead Fly interceptors. Up to 27 such charges can be launched from the board, destroying, for example, Russian Shahed UAVs, which the occupiers often launch along the beds of Ukrainian rivers. The drone and interceptors are controlled from a mobile command post through the MAC Mission Control system, which integrates combat platforms into a single network and coordinates operations in real time, the article says.
Journalists are highlighting the combination of unmanned boats and interceptor drones as a technological and tactical innovation in the history of modern warfare. It adds a new element to the multi-layered Ukrainian air defense system and at the same time opens up new capabilities in naval warfare. Aerial drones can first attack Russian radars, after which the Katran turns into a weapon against Russian oil platforms and ships.
The article notes that the Ukrainian defense forces are putting pressure on the Russian army not only in the air and at sea, but also on land, expanding the “death zone” at the front from 20 to 50 km, and the supply lines of the invading army are in the affected area up to 150 km deep. In addition, according to Ukrainian data, more Russian soldiers are now dying than Moscow can recruit.
