Mikhail Danilenko, managing director of the Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant (KMZ), told Sputnik in an interview that tests of Russia’s new hunter-killer sea surface drone had been successful. 

Besides hunting and destroying Ukrainian kamikaze drones that occasionally slip through multi-layered coastal defenses and attack Russian military and commercial ships, the new drone named KMZ Vizir will be able to deliver cargo and ammunition, undertake surveillance and medevac, and provide fire support.

Danilenko said that preparations for the mass production of these drones are currently underway.

Earlier, in July 2024,  Danilenko had told RIA Novosti that the Vizir drone boats would be armed with light missiles, placing up to 8 launchers on one side.

“Such a boat can perform the function of a carrier of a missile with low destructive power, which has its own video camera, autonomous joystick control from the ground. You can put a small charge. The speed of the rocket is low, and the rocket itself is a very simple and cheap product, costing about 500 thousand rubles. And we can mount such installations on a boat in the amount of 6 to 8 units, which can carry a charge of low destructive power, but which will point where it is needed and carry out an explosion,” Danilenko said.

Clearly, Danilenko was referring to a USV hunter-killer that could chase adversary kamikaze USV drones and destroy them with ATGM-like guided missiles.

A recently released video shows the KMZ Vizir’s control station, which includes a joystick and multi-function displays. The video also shows the drone boat deploying its ATGM-like missiles.

The drone is equipped to precisely fix its position before firing its missile, most likely using a combination of inertial navigation and SATNAV. The KMZ Vizir can reach speeds of up to 80 kph and has a maximum operational range of 600 km. It is assembled entirely from domestically produced components.

Development History

The drone’s development was first reported on September 12, 2023, when KMZ announced that it was discussing the possibility of supplying the Russian Ministry of Defense with the “Vizir” platform for the Navy.

At the “Army-2023” forum, KMZ presented the GRK-700 “Vizir,” designed for surveying the coastal zone and scanning the seabed relief, searching for submerged objects on the bottom and in the water. The boat is equipped with a side-scan sonar and a single-beam echo sounder produced by V.V. Tikhomirov Research Institute, control, navigation, and communication systems developed by Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

“The boat has the ability to be modified for various tasks: as a strike naval drone, a drone interceptor, for delivering troops and cargo,” said Mikhail Danilenko.

The boat’s useful payload is approximately 500 kilograms. It features high maneuverability and seafaring qualities. The boat’s hull is made of fiberglass.

The “Vizir” can be equipped with an electric drive, which reduces speed but increases range to 500 km. The basic version can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h. An algorithm for autonomous return to base is incorporated into the “Vizir” for its use as a drone.

The Russian Ministry of Defense was to receive a pilot batch of 10 units of universal BECs based on the GRK-700 Vizir hydrographic unmanned boat platform for testing in the northwestern military zone by the end of 2023.

In May 2024, reports surfaced that the Russian military had used an unmanned boat for the first time in the Northern Military District zone.

In June 2024, the uncrewed boats “Vizir”, “Orkan”, BEC-1000 and the autonomous uninhabited vehicle MMT-300, were demonstrated for the first time to foreign customers at an open exhibition of naval equipment.

Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheev was reported as saying, “The trend towards the use of unmanned technologies in the planning and conduct of military and anti-terrorism operations today has affected all environments, including surface and underwater. Russian enterprises, following global trends, have created a line of modern unmanned boats capable of carrying various payloads, which Rosoboronexport will present for the first time during the Fleet 2024 salon.

“We will offer foreign partners cooperation in building network-centric systems with integrated unmanned boats and autonomous uninhabited vehicles, as well as in introducing the concept of conducting over-the-horizon operations using Russian robotic systems.”

Ukrainian Drone Boat Threat

Ukraine has been actively developing and deploying explosives-laden kamikaze drone boats, notably the Magura V5 and Sea Baby models. As mentioned above, these drones have occasionally penetrated Russian Black Sea Fleet defenses.

Models like the Sea Baby have evolved to carry sophisticated armaments like rocket launchers (e.g., Grad systems) and potentially air-to-air missiles adapted for surface use, indicating a trend towards more versatile combat platforms.

Social media posts suggest that Ukrainian drone boats may, in the future, be deployed with air-to-air missiles to defend themselves from aerial attacks.

Hunting Ukrainian kamikaze drones using the KMZ Vizir would not just be cheaper than hunting them with armed helicopters or drones; it would be much safer and more effective.

Worldwide Interest In Drone Patrol Boats

Several nations are leaning towards unmanned patrol boats, reflecting a growing interest in maritime security and the integration of autonomous technology into naval operations.

As expected, the U.S. is at the forefront of unmanned systems development. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Issued a solicitation for autonomous maritime drones capable of operating in swarms, focusing on sense-and-avoid technology, autonomous interception, and collaborative multi-agent autonomy.

The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has been exploring and developing capabilities to launch aerial drones from unmanned or manned boats.

AfriPrime App link:  FREE to download...

https://www.amazon.com/Africircle-AfriPrime/dp/B0D2M3F2JT