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If the previous article discussed the UMT, namely a light torpedo designed by Russia for anti-drone missions under the sea, then there is the latest news coming from Zelensky Country, that the figure of "Marichka" has been revealed - an underwater drone or Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) / Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Ukrainian design.
Marichka's veil was revealed through a post on a Ukrainian social media account which on August 23 released a short video showing the kamikaze underwater drone conducting trials in the waters. Based on the footage, Marichka is a black underwater drone with a length of 6 meters and a range of around 1,000 kilometers.
Marichka's abilities are not limited to being a kamikaze drone, but Marichka's neng can carry out transportation support missions to reconnaissance. Other than that, information such as payload capacity and other technical details of this underwater drone are not yet known.
⚡️⚡️На відео проводится тестування підводного дрону "Марічка", який стане в нагоді для підорських кораблів, берегових укріплень, для підводних човнів а також виконувати функції дорозвідки
— 🇺🇦 Мисягiн 🇺🇦 (@2uwmp) August 22, 2023
Довжина - 6 м
Ширина - 1 м
Дальність - 1000 км
Ціна - 16 млн грнhttps://t.co/AHf3PV2zQj pic.twitter.com/YChcyGHw2T
According to Ukrainian media, Marichka is a self-developed system created by volunteer engineers (called Ammo Ukraine), for which the development of Marichka was funded by donations from donors. Several media sources put the estimated cost of this UUV at around UAH 16 million, or US$433,000.
After acquiring initial operational capability, the Marichka is expected to be used in suicide operations against Russian Black Sea Fleet assets, as well as other critical Russian infrastructure and structures.
Ukraine has entered a new era of naval warfare with the deployment of surface kamikaze drones against Russian warships in the Black Sea. The first strike in the fall of 2022 was a surprise for Russia's Black Sea Fleet. After the first attack, Ukraine increased the range of our USV kamikaze and attacked other important bases.
Russia has developed several measures against kamikaze drones, such as increased reconnaissance actions and large-scale destruction operations, but recent attacks on Ropucha class landing craft and Russian logistics tankers prove that these measures are not enough to guarantee the safety of Russian assets. .
Underwater drones are even more dangerous for Russian assets, as Marichka cannot be detected by conventional surveillance systems. Although it is not known how much explosive Marichka can deliver to her target, but a strike under the hull of a surface battleship, would undoubtedly create a catastrophic disaster for the Russian warship fleet.
As in the previous article, Russia has anticipated the presence of Marichka with a UMT torpedo which can chase targets as far as 7,000 meters at a speed of 27 knots. So, will the UMT torpedo be able to ward off Marichka's attack? We will see later.