The new drones will help the units to defeat unmanned boats, sabotage groups and other threats on the approaches to the bases.
Special forces units of the Russian Navy have received shock FPV drones. Kamikaze UAVs will allow combat swimmers of units countering sabotage forces and fleet assets to deliver precise strikes against unmanned and high-speed enemy boats, as well as to hit saboteurs at the landing site. Experts note that our troops have already faced all these threats during their military operations and FPV drones will seriously strengthen the defense of important coastal facilities and warships in their parking areas.
Drones and virtual reality
FPV drones have entered service with combat swimmers of the Russian Navy, sources familiar with the situation told Izvestia. New drones are already being mastered in practice: in units for countering underwater sabotage forces and means The Navy conducted exercises with their use.
Currently, scheduled training sessions on piloting and controlling unmanned aerial vehicles are regularly conducted with the personnel of the detachments. Classes are organized as part of a combat training course and are aimed at improving the skills of operators in conditions as close as possible to a real combat situation.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov
Image source: iz.ru
Before performing practical flights, operators undergo theoretical training and practice the elements of piloting on computer simulators using virtual reality technologies.
FPV drone pilots are also studying algorithms for supporting assault groups and conducting reconnaissance in any weather. Actions in the dark are being worked out separately — devices using thermal imagers are used for this, the interlocutors of the publication explained.
At the end of the training, the operators of FPV drones take tests confirming their qualifications.
The classes are led by experienced instructors who have gained combat experience during a special military operation, the interlocutors of the publication noted.
Against saboteurs and backups
The SDSS forces are responsible for the protection of military bases, ships, ports and coastal waters, Alexey Mendrik, ex-commander of the SpNBPDSS detachment, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Kaliningrad Region, told Izvestia.
—Arming combat swimmers with FPV drones is an additional feature," he explained. — Modern combat operations are difficult to imagine without drones — they solve or help solve many combat missions. It is much easier to hit the BACK with an FPV than with a machine gun. Moreover, it can be done at a greater distance. In previous years, we have seen attempts to land enemy saboteurs in the Crimea or on the Kinburn Spit. It is possible to disrupt such actions of the enemy with the help of drones. They are well suited for precise attacks on high-speed sabotage boats.
Photo: TASS/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
Alexey Mendrik is sure that such opportunities will not be superfluous for our marine special forces units.
Before the start of the SVO, the PDSS detachments focused mainly on fighting enemy saboteurs, however, as military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia, modern military operations dictate new rules.
— The experience of military special operations shows that the units have to face various threats that did not exist before. Therefore, the step of equipping them with shock FPV drones can be called quite natural," the expert noted.
According to Boltenkov, this solution makes it possible to destroy high-speed watercraft and saboteurs who landed on the shore, as well as intercept enemy UAVs. Our servicemen need to be prepared for any challenges.
Photo: TASS/Yuri Smithyuk
Image source: iz.ru
Military expert Captain Vasily Dandykin, first rank, noted that one of the tasks of combat swimmers is to work closely with the crews of ships to comprehensively protect the naval base and safely sail the fleet forces to the open sea.
—Right now, FPV attack drones are actively and effectively used to destroy unmanned enemy boats trying to attack our ships right in the parking lots," the expert said.
Thus, the drones will work to ensure the main goal of the Navy — the smooth functioning of the fleet.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Timkiv
Image source: iz.ru
"Remote drone strikes will help reduce the number of contact battles involving small arms, which will once again avoid putting the lives of highly qualified personnel at risk," Dandykin said.
The training of combat swimmers takes a long time, and each such fighter is of exceptional value to the fleet, the expert recalled.
UAVs have expanded the range of tasks to be solved
Now the PDSS detachments are receiving new strike and reconnaissance capabilities — the units are being actively strengthened. Izvestia reported that earlier combat swimmers received drones designed to detect enemy forces, as well as destroy enemy saboteurs both underwater and on shore by dropping ammunition.
The new devices have already been tested by the sailors. During the exercises with the participation of combat swimmers, the tactics of a joint search for a conditional enemy were practiced. The drones operated as part of unified mobile groups along with anti-sabotage boats and high-speed boats.
According to experts, in the current military and political situation, the navy should be ready for any unfriendly actions. The introduction of UAVs will seriously expand the capabilities of the SDSS detachments to control the water area, patrol coastal areas and track the likely routes of subversive groups.
Andrey Buevich
Bogdan Stepovoy
