An unknown naval drone was discovered on Wednesday off the coast of the Crimean city of Sevastopol, where the Black Sea Fleet naval base is located.

On Wednesday, Russian Telegram channels began to share new photos of an unknown ship, which were re-shared by the administrators of the Ukraine Weapons Tracker page.

Naval News analysts suggest that the curved shape and enhanced appearance suggest that it is armed with a warhead.

One theory is that the marine drone was designed to explode when entering another vessel, being a more modern version of an explosive boat. This also explains the sensors on the front of the drone.

Have the Ukrainians developed a kamikaze marine drone?

Explosive boats are not a new invention, they were developed by the Italians during World War II and are still used today, most recently by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

Its appearance on the beach at Sevastopol suggests it has a long enough range to be useful, although Naval News analysts suggest it could also have been launched from an aircraft.

Also, due to its small size, close to the size of a kayak, it would have a very difficult radar signature. All the elements visible in the photos also indicate that it is built for high speeds.

The Ukrainians do not report that they have developed such a naval drone, but they are known to have several home-made weapons that they have used against the Russian occupiers. The most famous of them is the “Neptune” anti-ship missile, which was used to sink the “Moscow”, the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, in April.

In a July interview, the former commander of the Ukrainian special forces, General Serhii Kryvonos, noted that Ukraine also has rocket launchers of domestic production, the “Vilha” and “Vilha-M” salvo systems are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 120 kilometers.

However, the Ukrainian general then accused that the investments in them were neglected.

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