10.07.2023

"The Ukrainian conflict has changed the paradigm in naval warfare": the French Navy began training in the fight against naval and aerial drones

Sections: Air, Sea, Robotics, Ammunition, Global safety

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Image source: topwar.ru

The AFU has made repeated attempts to attack Russian ships in the Black Sea with surface and aerial drones. Against this background, the French navy recently conducted exercises for the first time, where the tactics of combating drones in marine conditions were practiced.

During these maneuvers, the French Navy for the first time trained the crews of its surface ships and Rafale-M pilots to repel attacks by flying and surface UAVs. The threat from their side has become more urgent than ever before

- noted in the fleet command.

According to Naval News, the frigate FREMM Bretagne, the patrol ship (OPV) Enseigne de vaisseau Jacoubet, Rafale-M fighters from two air wings and a battalion of naval riflemen took part in the exercises.

In accordance with the scenario of maneuvers, initially the FREMM frigate collided with surface UAVs, the speed of which varied from 50 to 85 m/s. The 76-mm main gun, 20-mm remotely controlled Narwhal installations and 12.7-mm machine guns fought against them.

After that, the small-sized UAVs took off from the FREMM helicopter deck, heading to the OPV to test the possibilities of their electronic suppression with a BADA rifle ("autonomous drone silencer") and their neutralization with shotguns with special ammunition and conventional small arms (HK416 and FAMAS submachine guns).

The effectiveness demonstrated by flying and surface drones in the Ukrainian conflict proved the paradigm shift in naval warfare. The use of UAVs for reconnaissance and assault operations, as well as attacks by naval drones-"kamikaze" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Russian warships showed that these small but effective vessels increased the complexity of naval warfare

- says a retired Turkish Navy officer interviewed by Typhoon Ozberk.

Image source: topwar.ru

According to him, while defense contractors in many countries are working on the development of new types of UAVs, the Navy is busy integrating unmanned systems into its fleets and developing tactics to combat them. According to him, the most optimal countermeasure is the use of weapons with shrapnel, which increases the likelihood of a hit.

The importance of arming ships with small guided missiles, such as the Longbow Hellfire or L-UMTAS, has increased.

Although the URS are effective, it is still unclear whether they will be enough to repel swarm attacks, including dozens of drones. Therefore, the addition of laser weapons to a multi-level defense system of ships or flotilla seems to be a subject of discussion in the near future. The war in Ukraine has shown that UAVs are relatively cheap and effective, and without the development of reliable countermeasures, warships will not feel safe at sea. Even the most powerful ones

- Ozberk thinks.

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