Drones and unmanned boats have become a new threat to ships and bases.
Recently, exercises of the naval base defense forces against robotic combat systems have been taking place regularly. This week, a training session was held to repel drone attacks on Baltic Fleet facilities in the Kaliningrad region. Shortly before that, the defense of the Baltic Fleet's base at the Leningrad Naval Base was being worked out. How to protect naval bases and other Navy facilities from attacks by drones and unmanned boats — in the Izvestia article.
How does the defense of naval bases work?
In the Baltic Sea, Russia has the Kaliningrad semi-Autonomous Region and the Leningrad Region, where important naval and civilian facilities are located. These territories are surrounded by hostile countries (the Baltic States, Poland, Finland). If the Kiev regime decides in its agony to open a "second front" against Russia through a terrorist attack by UAVs and unmanned boats, then our facilities may be damaged from the territory of these countries in the hope of provoking a retaliatory strike. And the security services of these bases need to be on constant alert.
Photo: TASS/Vitaly Nevar
Image source: iz.ru
The protection of naval bases is built in the general contour of the country's defense and is designed to counter all known types of weapons. Thus, anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense is carried out by air defense units of the Russian Aerospace Forces, armed with long-range missile systems. Coastal missile troops on duty are engaged in protecting against attacks by surface ships. Constant radio-electronic reconnaissance and surveillance of the sea and surface surfaces are conducted. Units are also working to combat underwater sabotage devices. The assigned ships are on duty at the air defense base. The calculation is that there will be signs of a massive lifting of enemy aircraft into the air and the deployment of its underwater / surface forces to launch a massive missile and air strike. Accordingly, measures will be taken to repel such an attack.
What new threats have emerged for Navy facilities
But in recent years, new robotic means of attack have emerged, such as unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats. These tools are characterized by an extremely low level of visibility and secrecy in deployment for use. Accordingly, changes had to be made to the defense system. It was necessary to increase the radar field and optical surveillance of the adjacent surface to close previously unseen areas.
Ukraine has already used combined aerial attacks by drones and cruise missiles against naval facilities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and unmanned boats from the surface. The intelligence is conducted by the forces of unfriendly countries. According to her data, goals are selected and routes for the movement of robotic vehicles are being built.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation/mil.ru
Image source: iz.ru
To combat them, along with the existing means of defense, it was necessary to additionally recall the methods of fighting during the Second World War. Namely, the deployment of mobile groups of fighters armed with automatic weapons and electronic warfare equipment, the creation of air and sea surveillance posts, and the installation of automatic cannons (including ZU—23 submachine guns) at various coastal facilities.
In addition, patrol of the sea surface by patrol boats. Strangely enough, two captured Ukrainian armored boats, re-equipped with artillery systems of 25 mm caliber, turned out to be a good reinforcement of the coastal defense of the Sevastopol base. It turned out to be too early to write off the patrol boats. At the same time, a sufficient number of combat boats of the Grachonok or Raptor type have been built in Russia for units fighting underwater saboteurs, which can play the role of patrol boats.
The Raptor patrol boat during the training of the Baltic Naval Base detachment
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Podgorchuk
Surface ships were also reinforced by installing additional automatic weapons such as Utes or KPVT machine guns. Accordingly, exercises for hitting small surface and air targets were introduced into the combat training course of their crews.
Apparently, ground units with Thor-type anti-aircraft missile systems to combat drones have also appeared in the air defense system of the bases. According to the cost/efficiency criterion, these systems are the most successful modern means of combating such aircraft. They also recalled passive protection systems in the form of booms and fence nets. Maneuvering ships in the water area of their base is also a good way to counteract this. The enemy, receiving intelligence data, targets certain locations, and the rearrangement of ships can disrupt his plans. There are other methods of disguise.
The Tor anti-aircraft missile system
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Sergey Pivovarov
New methods of struggle have also appeared. So, in 2023-2024, combat helicopters proved themselves well for the destruction of robotic systems. They have a lot of destroyed unmanned boats on their account. However, the enemy managed to install air defense systems on the boats and use FPV drones from their sides, after which the use of combat helicopters became problematic. In this situation, domestic Pacer-type drones have performed well. Recently, a video appeared in open sources showing how such a drone, guided by weapons, destroys the enemy's BACK. Accordingly, the Russian Navy should be more actively involved in both drones and backup aircraft to patrol the sea and air surfaces adjacent to naval bases. This will allow for round-the-clock reconnaissance and save aviation resources.
In general, the defense of naval bases should develop at a faster pace than the development of new robotic facilities. It is necessary to create new automated weapons systems and advanced electronic warfare systems. This will strengthen the protection of valuable ships and important coastal facilities. Do not forget that all protective measures work in a complex. In this regard, it is necessary to constantly conduct training to improve the skills of personnel, improve the interaction of units, as well as to share experiences and new developments.
Dmitry Boltenkov
