Watch Ukrainian TB2 Striking Two Russian Raptor Assault Boats
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (Міноборони) just released a dramatic video showing one of its TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) striking two assault boats of the Russian Navy.
According to the Ukrainian MoD, the two vessels were Raptor-class assault boats. They were struck in the vicinity of the now famous “Snake Island” (Zmiinyi Island), located roughly 70 nautical miles south of Odessa. The time stamp in the video, recorded directly from the UAV EO/IR system shows that the dual strike took place today, 2 May 2022.
About TB2
According to its manufacturer, Bayraktar from Turkey, TB2 is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE), Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle capable of conducting Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and armed attack missions. A number of systems have been delivered to Ukraine (some of them for the Ukrainian Navy) before and during Russia’s invasion. They have been used effectively by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The TB2 reportedly played a role in the sinking of Moskva. Following the loss of their flagship, this is yet another blow to the Russian Navy.
This is likely the first ever actual naval warfare engagement of the Turkish-made TB2. The Turkish Navy demonstrated how effective the UAV could be in naval warfare about one year ago, when the TB2 engaged a target at sea for the first time:
About MAM-L (Mini Akilli Muhimmat-Lazer) Micro Smart Munition
The Russian Raptor boats were likely destroyed with the MAM-L lightweight Smart Micro Munition. MAM-L has been developed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), light attack aircrafts and air-ground missions for low payload capacity air platforms. MAM-L can engage both stationary and moving targets with high precision.
Technical Specifications:
- Diameter: 160 mm
- Length: 1 m
- Weight: 22 kg
- Range: 8 km (15 km with Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System Option)
- Seeker: Semi-Active Laser Seeker
- Warhead Types: Tandem Effective Against Reactive Armor, High-Explosive Blast Fragmentation, Thermobaric
- Fuse: Impact, Proximity
About Raptor-class assault boat
The Raptor-class (Project 03160) assault boats are built by Russian shipbuilder Pella. Their main missions is to patrol coastal waters, engage in rescue operations, intercept small-tonnage targets, defend ports and bases from small sea and air targets.
They are armed with 14.5mm remotely operated and stabilized optical-electronic module with a detection range of 3000 meters and precision fire to a distance of 2000 meters, as well as two Pecheneg 6P41 7.62mm machineguns. The armored protection includes Br4 class panels and windows with 39mm thick bulletproof glass. The displacement is 23 tons, the length is 16.9 meters, the width is 4.1 meters, the draft is 0.9 meters. Maximum speed is 50 knots. The range is 300 miles. The crew comprises 2-3 men. Special personnel is 20 men. The boat operates in ice-free brown waters, straits, river deltas day and night at a distance of 100 miles from the base.
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