According to a Jan. 7 report on the Ukrainian Militarnyi military issues website, two brigades from Ukraine’s armed forces have begun military trials of the Black Widow 2, a new first-person view (FPV) unmanned surface vehicle (USV-drone).
Developed by the Brave1 technology cluster it was designed to carry out reconnaissance, surveillance and offensive “kamikaze” operations on rivers and inland waterways.
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The Black Widow 2 is a battery-powered cost-effective, versatile, and lightweight platform that is one meter (3.2 feet) long and weighs 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds). It has a maximum speed of 40 kph (25 mph) and an operational range of up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). The rechargeable onboard battery provides the USV with several hours of run time and can be put on standby to allow it to loiter for several days lying in wait for targets to appear.
The drone is equipped with a camera that can rotate both horizontally and vertically and has a day / night capability. It can carry a three-kilogram (6.6-pound) explosive payload that allows it to be used as a kamikaze USV against small rigid and inflatable enemy boats.
The developers says that the river drone is “just like an FPV but [works] on the water.” It was commissioned by the Ukrainian military in 2023 to combat the movement and resupply of Russian troops occupying the islands in the Dnipro River.
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It was first shown at the Brave 1 sponsored Defense Tech Valley investment summit in October. According to Militarnyi, the developers said it was intended to design a version of the Black Widow that could clear waterborne anchored mines as well as a larger more capable version of the USV. The new drone reportedly costs less than Hr.100,000 ($2,400), and the company will soon be able to produce around 100 boats per month.
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