A Ukrainian startup has shown off its first weapon, a small drone boat that has already seen combat against Russian forces, Militarnyi reported. The maker presented the craft at a Kyiv conference where Ukrainian and European firms displayed their newest uncrewed sea systems. The boat is built to slip in close, strike, and, in its main form, never come back.
A first product, already tested in combat
NOAH X, the developer, says the Harpun is its debut product. The company told Militarnyi the boat has already struck the Russian targets in combat. It now goes through codification, the formal process that clears a weapon for regular military use.
The platform is built for the harsh conditions of modern war. It can act on its own as a strike unit or work as part of a group of uncrewed boats. Ukraine's cheap drone boats have already driven Russia's Black Sea Fleet from its bases in occupied Crimea.
Sea drones hit Russian shadow fleet tanker as it waited for an at-sea oil rendezvous off Russia’s Black Sea coast
What the Harpun can do
The Harpun runs about two meters long and weighs roughly 100 kilograms. It carries a payload of up to 30 kilograms. A water-jet engine drives it to 35 kilometers an hour, with a range of up to 40 kilometers.
The boat can also lie in wait. In standby mode, it holds for up to 48 hours, so crews can place it early and trigger it later. Operators steer it through the universal Droid Box control system from the company DevDroid. Three parallel communication channels run at once, and the operator can switch between them in seconds if one is lost.
Two hulls: a strike weapon and a supply runner
The company describes the Harpun first as a one-way weapon.
"Its main task is to go, do the job, and not return," the NOAH X representative said.
The boat can approach quietly and slowly, or sprint the full 40 kilometers, then deliver a payload the enemy "doesn't like."
A second hull trades the warhead for a cargo hold. That version runs food and ammunition to soldiers across water, where moving supplies by crewed craft is dangerous. The design can also take a sonar fit to map the seabed.
