UAVs are capable of performing a wide range of tasks in the interests of ships and submarines.
The Russian Supercam drone has been given the opportunity to act in the interests of the Navy. He can patrol, conduct ice reconnaissance and give target indications. Izvestia investigated which drones can work for ships and submarines and what tasks they can perform.
Advanced development
At the IDEX-2025 global arms exhibition in the UAE, the Unmanned Systems Group of companies presented the Supercam SX350 vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) device. According to the developer, the unmanned tiltrotor can be used from the deck of a ship. The SX350 is suitable for patrolling the water area and coastal zone, ensuring the safety of civilian vessels, ice reconnaissance, as well as for performing tasks in the interests of the Navy - targeting for warships, submarines and coastal missile systems.
Supercam SX350 Drone (VTOL)
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko
According to the manufacturer, vertical take-off and landing, as well as long-term high-speed horizontal flight of the SX350, make it possible to explore remote, extended objects. The device can be operated by one person who can launch it from the surface in limited areas, including from the deck of the ship.
Recently, we can observe an unmanned revolution in military affairs in battles on the ground. The same revolution is taking place in operations at sea. What kind of drones can be used from the deck of Russian Navy ships and how?
Search and exploration
Visibility from the ship is limited by both optical and radio horizons. In this regard, the use of drones allows you to "look" beyond the horizon. They can be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, search and control of fire strikes. It is very important to use drones in the Arctic to track ice fields and work out the route of ships and vessels. It is also important to use drones when traveling in narrow areas or on rivers.
Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Zurab Javakhadze
It is known that experiments on launching Orlan-10 and Aileron-3 UAVs were conducted on ships of the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla to solve missile launch control tasks. Thus, in 2021, the crew of the small rocket ship Veliky Ustyug of the Caspian Flotilla carried out practical firing using the Kalibr missile system. Target destruction control was carried out by drones of these types launched from the Dagestan missile ship.
Attack drones
Currently, Cube, Lancet, and other types of attack drones are actively used in the fields of a special military operation to defeat a variety of targets. According to open sources, there is a ship-based version of the Lancet in the form of a small launcher, which accommodates four devices with folded wings. Accordingly, if the Black Sea Fleet conducts operations in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, it will be possible to retrofit existing ships and boats with such installations. During raiding or amphibious operations, it will be possible to both hit coastal targets and suppress coastal anti-amphibious defense facilities. The use of such attack drones will save more expensive Onyx or Uranus cruise missiles for hitting more important targets.
Lancet unmanned/barrage ammunition
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko
The use of FPV drones, such as the BT-40, is also promising to combat small-sized naval targets such as motorboats or unmanned boats. There is a video of tests of such an FPV drone from aboard a patrol ship of the 22160 project in the public domain.
Drones can also be used from submarines. Iran recently demonstrated this technology. A transport and launch container is launched from under the water, after reaching the surface, the roof is shot off, a UAV is launched, which then attacks the target. This technology can be used from a fully submerged marine drone and covertly attack targets on the enemy's shore by launching several drones. However, they can perform a wider range of tasks. For example, drones can be launched from a submarine for reconnaissance purposes, transmitting information to a higher headquarters, and attacking coastal targets where it is expensive to use cruise missiles.
Large drones
More opportunities for the use of drones for naval purposes are formed when group-based aircraft ships appear in the Russian Navy. Unfortunately, we currently do not have a single such ship in service. The aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is under repair. The universal amphibious assault ships of the 23900 project "Ivan Rogov" and "Mitrofan Moskalenko" are under construction.
It is known that the ships of the 23900 project will be based on both marine helicopters of various types, as well as attack and reconnaissance drones for vertical takeoff, and possibly aircraft takeoff. These ships will also have an integrated control center for both manned and unmanned systems. This will provide fire support for Marines ashore, conduct various kinds of special operations, and so on.
Admiral Kuznetsov Heavy aircraft carrier
Image source: Photo: TASS/Lev Fedoseev
A couple more ships that can also use UAVs, namely the large amphibious assault ships of project 11711 "Vladimir Andreev" and "Vasily Trushin" are also under construction.
Such ships can accommodate larger drones capable of solving other tasks: conducting anti—submarine warfare - searching, detecting and destroying submarines; conducting electronic warfare; refueling carrier-based fighters or other drones; destroying enemy coastal and naval targets; delivering cargo and people. Such drones can be made on the basis of devices such as "Hunter", "Pacer" or others. Similar technologies are already being actively developed in the fleets of several countries. The navies of some countries, such as Turkey, China and Iran, are already actively using large UAVs.
The use of drones from the deck of warships has broad prospects right now, and especially in the future. Very soon, large UAVs can take over most of the tasks currently being performed by ship-based helicopters. Accordingly, the resource of helicopters and their pilots will be released for other tasks.
Dmitry Boltenkov
