A new development in Ukraine’s drone warfare capabilities has emerged, Forbes reports, as its tech correspondent David Hambling analyzed footage shared by Ukrainian electronic warfare expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov. The video reveals a modified version of the combat-proven Shrike drone that can operate both in air and underwater, potentially signaling a significant advancement in drone ambush tactics.
The emergence of this technology suggests a potential new phase in drone warfare, where the battlefield extends not just across land and air but also beneath the water’s surface.
“Multicopters make poor submarines, but that may not be relevant. What matters is that the drone is able to land in water and remain hidden for a period of time,” writes Hambling, highlighting the tactical rather than technical significance of this development.
Meanwhile, Beskrestnov hints at more extensive capabilities not shown in the public footage.
“The demonstration in the video is not as impressive as the sight of drones taking off from underwater in a lake,” he noted.
The Ukrainian Shrike drone has already proven its effectiveness in combat. In 2023, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, announced the procurement of over 1,500 standard Shrike units through the Army of Drones initiative. Their combat record is notable – a single operation in October 2023 reportedly saw 35 Shrikes destroy eight tanks and four personnel carriers in a Russian convoy.
While submersible drones aren’t new—examples date back to the 1920s, and recent developments by the US Office of Naval Research and Chinese manufacturers—their military application has been limited due to performance constraints. However, the Ukrainian adaptation appears focused on a specific tactical niche: concealed ambush positions in waterways.
The new capability could allow these drones to hide in “lakes, ponds, canals or the many water-filled craters” along enemy routes, Hambling reports, making it significantly more difficult for Russian forces to detect potential ambush points. This development follows Ukraine’s pattern of adapting commercial drone technology for specific battlefield requirements, similar to their successful deployment of fiber-optic controlled drones to counter Russian electronic warfare.
Read more:
- Drone attack hits Slavyansk-na-Kubani in southern Russia’s Krasnodar Krai
- Ukraine launches counterattacks near Donetsk’s Pokrovsk amid reduced Russian assaults
- Ukrainian forces integrate infantry and drones into a united strike system
