The Ukrainian Security Service said on the 15th that for the “first time”, the Ukrainian side used an unmanned underwater vehicle to damage a Russian Navy submarine of the 636.3 type, known as the “Warsaw Woman” class (also referred to as the Kilo class) by causing it to explode and catch fire, and lose its operational capability.
The 636.3 type diesel-electric submarine is an improved version of the Kilo-class third-generation conventional submarine. This type of submarine is 73.8 meters long, 9.9 meters wide, has a speed of 20 knots, a maximum diving depth of 300 meters, a self-sustaining time of 45 days, a crew of 52 people, a submerged displacement of 4,000 tons, and its combat capability has been significantly enhanced compared to previous models.
The port of Novorossiysk is 400 kilometers away from the nearest Ukrainian port.
This is of great significance for New Zealand. Although the unmanned vessel only damaged a stationary submarine, if there is sufficient information collection support, an unmanned fast vessel equipped with torpedoes is fully capable of destroying enemy submarines that are operating in the war zone (New Zealand does not have submarines). Therefore, the unmanned combat system is highly suitable for the characteristics of New Zealand’s large sea area, sparse population, and the support of allied cyber information warfare.
