The Main Intelligence Directorate is actively employing several types of marine unmanned drone carriers for military operations in the Black Sea region. These platforms were featured in Artem Shevchenko's documentary "Sea Battle. The Era of Drones".
The GUR is forming a fleet of marine drones, with uncrewed systems playing a vital role in launching kamikaze drones. They are capable of striking both land and highly maneuverable naval targets.
The footage showcases two marine drones that differ significantly from the well-known Magura v5. One is equipped with a conventional boat engine and can transport up to four containers of FPV drones ready for launch.
"Our marine platform can carry between 500 and 3000 kilograms of various weaponry – aerial, surface, and underwater. The system integrates cutting-edge technologies combined with NATO-standard artificial intelligence," says a reconnaissance officer involved in deploying such drones.
The other drone carrier, visible in lower-quality footage, has a different hull shape and is equipped with a launcher for four fixed-wing drones.
This platform has likely been repeatedly used in GUR operations to deliver munitions to the temporarily occupied Crimean coastline. In April, it successfully struck several Russian combat boats and the "Tor-M2" air defense system in the peninsula's waters.
Both systems appear to be fitted with Starlink satellite communication antennas, enhancing the operational range of the marine drones.
For the first time, a control station for the marine platform has been demonstrated, complete with an operator's chair and control mechanisms: a yoke resembling an aircraft control system and a speed control lever. On the yoke, there are several buttons, one of which likely controls the drone's nose pitch.
Images from the drone's cameras (both day and night) are transmitted to the operator's augmented reality glasses and duplicated on a rear screen. Thanks to the glasses, the operator sees a unified panoramic view from multiple cameras.
Additionally, images from the thermal imager in the nose and stern cameras are streamed.
Intelligence officers note that the emergence of such platforms allows for not only precise targeting of ground objects but also provides aerial cover during large-scale maritime operations.