385th Unmanned Surface Vehicles Brigade (Ukraine)

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385th Naval Unmanned Surface Vehicles Brigade
385-та окрема бригада морських безпілотних комплексів спеціального призначення
Active2023-present
CountryFlag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine
Branch Flag of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine.png Unmanned Systems Forces
Naval Ensign of Ukraine.svg  Ukrainian Navy (till 2024)
Type Brigade
Role USV operations
Part of Flag of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine.png USF Command
Engagements Russo-Ukrainian War

The 385th Naval Unmanned Surface Vehicles Brigade is a brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces. It was established in August 2023 as a part of Ukrainian Navy operated by USV operatives from HUR and SBU. It is the world's first and, as of May 2025, the only military unit dedicated to the operation of naval USVs.

Contents

History

The existence of Ukrainian USVs has been public knowledge since their first combat use by the Ukrainian Navy in September 2022 during a raid in Sevastopol [1] and since then the USVs have been used on combat on multiple occasions to destroy Russian assets, mostly in the Black Sea.

In August 2023, the brigade was officially established as the first specialized brigade concerned with Unmanned Surface Vehicles in the world [2] [3] and on August 24, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky presented the newly created brigade with a combat flag. [4]

In August 2023, the Russians created a barricade near the Crimean Bridge to protect it against Ukrainian USVs, [5] but it was destroyed by USVs in November 2023. [6]

On 14 September 2023, two Russian Project 22160 patrol ships were damaged by Ukrainian USVs [7] [8] and in addition to the two patrol ships, the Russian corvette Samum was also hit by Sea Baby USVs [9] [10] with considerable damage being seen in a later video of the ship. [11]

In October 2023, the Project 22160 patrol ship Pavlo Derzhavin was damaged by a Sea Baby USV attack. [12] Similarly the tugboat Mykolai Muru was also damaged by a USV attack in October 2023. [13]

In December 2023 the Russian demining, reconnaissance and hydrographic ship Volodymyr Kozytskyi was damaged by a Ukrainian Sea Baby USV. [14] [8]

Footage of 1 February 2024 attack on Ivanovets

On 1 February 2024, the Main Directorate of Intelligence published a video of the MAGURA V5 attack on the Russian corvette Ivanovets. [15] [16] On February 14, 2024, the large amphibious assault ship Tsezar Kunikov was sunk by Ukrainian MAGURA V5 near Alupka. [17]

On March 5, 2024, the large amphibious assault ship Sergey Kotov was sunk by Ukrainian MAGURA V5 near the Kerch Strait. [18]

On 6 May 2024, Russia released footage of a Ka-29 using gunfire on a Sea Baby USV of the brigade. The drone was armed with a R-73 infrared missile, to defend it from helicopters. One missile appeared to have been fired before it was destroyed by gun fire. [19]

On 30 May 2024, the Main Directorate of Intelligence confirmed the destruction of two Russian boats of the KC-701 Tuna type with the help of MAGURA V5 strike drones. [20] [21] [22]

On June 24, 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine, reported that Sea Baby USVs had laid more than 15 Naval mines near Crimea and these had damaged four Russian warships. [23] [24] [25]

On 10 August 2024, a MAGURA V5 of the brigade destroyed a Russian KS 701 Tunets high-speed boat near the settlement of Chornomorske. [26]

Personnel and equipment

The USV operatives of the brigade are mostly the operatives from the Main Directorate of Intelligence and Security Service of Ukraine and most other personnel come from the Ukrainian Navy. The brigade is known to operate multiple types of USVs including:

TypeImageOriginPurposeQuantityProduction Cost
MAGURA V5 [26] Stamp of Ukraine s2086.jpg Emblem of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.png GUR Surveillance, reconnaissance, patrolling, search and rescue, mine countermeasures, maritime security, and combat missions. [27] N/A$273,000
Sea Baby Ukrainian marine drones.jpg Flag of the Security Service of Ukraine.svg SBU Kamikaze and combat operationsN/A$232,407
MAMAI [28] [29] Flag of the Security Service of Ukraine.svg SBU Kamikaze and combat operationsN/AN/A
Seafox [30] U.S. Navy Mineman (MN) Seaman Brett Walker, left, and MN2 Anthony Killen, assigned to MCM Crew Dominant and deployed aboard the mine countermeasures ship USS Gladiator (MCM 11), lift and place a SeaFox portable 130117-N-CG436-160.jpg Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Demining operations2 vesselsDonated
Chasing M2 ProChasing Innovations [31] Search and rescue [30] 1 vessel [30] N/A

References

  1. ↑ "Маск підтвердив зрив атаки дронів на російський флот у Криму і каже про "необхідність перемир'я"". Економічна правда (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  2. ↑ "У ВМС України створили бригаду морських дронів". Ukrainian Military (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  3. ↑ Sutton, H. I. (2023-08-31). "World's First Specialized Explosive Naval Drone Unit Formed In Ukraine". Naval News. Archived from the original on 2023-08-31. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  4. ↑ "З нагоди Дня Незалежності України Володимир Зеленський вручив державні нагороди, відзнаки та бойові прапори військовим частинам". Office of the President of Ukraine. August 24, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-08-26. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  5. ↑ "Росіяни створили загородження біля Кримського мосту з затоплених барж". Мілітарний (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2023-09-06. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  6. ↑ "Бонові загородження біля мосту через Керченську протоку затонули". Мілітарний (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  7. ↑ "У Чорному морі уразили два кораблі РФ типу "Василий Быков"". Мілітарний (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  8. 1 2 "Водні дрони, Ілон Маск та високоточні ракети: як Україна відвоювала Чорне море". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  9. ↑ "Ukrainian SeaBaby drone hits Russian Samum missile warship in Black Sea". Ukrainska Pravda . September 15, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Дрон "Морський малюк" підбив у Чорному морі російський ракетний корабель "Самум" – джерела". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  11. ↑ "З'явилися знімки буксирування корабля РФ "Самум", якого підбив "Морський малюк" СБУ". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  12. ↑ Свобода, Радіо (12 October 2023). "У ВМС підтвердили пошкодження російського корабля "Павел Державин"". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "ВМС ЗСУ підтвердили ураження рятувального буксирного судна в районі Севастополя". Social News. 14 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "В Україні прокоментували можливий підрив на міні катера РФ "Владимир Козицкий"". Крым.Реалии (in Ukrainian). 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  15. ↑ "Знищення російського катера "Івановєц": як це вплине на Чорноморський флот РФ". ТСН.ua (in Ukrainian). 2024-02-01. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  16. ↑ Тверезо (2024-02-03). "Ракетний катер "Ивановец", знищений ЗСУ. Що про нього відомо і як він потопив український корвет". Тверезий погляд (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  17. ↑ "Морські дрони України знищили десантний корабель "Цезарь Куников"". Мілітарний (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  18. ↑ "Українські дрони уразили російський патрульний корабель "Сергей Котов"". Мілітарний (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  19. ↑ THOMAS NEWDICK (6 May 2024). "Ukrainian Drone Boats Now Armed With Adapted Air-To-Air Missiles". TWZ. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  20. ↑ Головне управління розвідки МО України (2024-05-30). "Тунець по-кримськи" від ГУР . Retrieved 2024-07-16– via YouTube.
  21. ↑ "Ukraine's Defence Intelligence confirms destruction of 2 Russian boats in Crimea, 2 more damaged – video". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  22. ↑ "DIU destroys two Russian boats in Crimea". Militarnyi. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  23. ↑ "Дрони СБУ провели перше в світі успішне дистанційне мінування - ЗМІ". ua.korrespondent.net (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  24. ↑ "Дрони СБУ уразили 4 кораблі РФ завдяки дистанційному мінуванню: деталі унікальних спецоперацій від WSJ". ТСН.ua (in Ukrainian). 2024-06-24. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  25. ↑ "Завдяки дистанційному мінуванню дрони СБУ уразили чотири російські кораблі - WSJ". www.ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). 2024-06-24. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  26. 1 2 "Ukraine's Defence Intelligence fighters destroy another boat near Crimea – video". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  27. ↑ "MAGURA V5 — новий український морський безпілотник" [MAGURA V5 is a new Ukrainian marine drone]. ITC.ua. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  28. ↑ "Для СБУ виготовили ударні морські дрони "Мамай"". Мілітарний (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  29. ↑ gandziy_s (2023-12-25). "СБУ вперше показала морський безпілотник, яким уразили кораблі окупантів в Новоросійську (Відео)". ВІЙСЬКОВИЙ КУРʼЄР (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  30. 1 2 3 "Що шукають військові водолази в акваторіях портів?". АрміяInform. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  31. ↑ "CHASING M2 PRO ROV | Light Industrial-Grade Underwater Drone for Professional Scenario". Chasing Innovations. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
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