The Russian Navy deployed Su-30SM fighter jets to neutralize Ukrainian Navy unmanned surface vessels (USVs), which Ukraine has increasingly used to attack Russian targets in the Black Sea, including important infrastructure and military bases, Military Watch magazine reported, citing footage released on November 26.
The USVs were reportedly destroyed with both gunfire and bombs. In addition to the Su-30SM, Su-24M strike fighters also participated in the mission, both types of aircraft are deployed in the Russian Navy, however the outdated Su-24s are gradually being replaced by Su-30s.
USV of Ukraine.
The Su-30SM is also widely used in the Russian Air Force and is a 4+ generation fighter developed based on the design of the Su-30MKI fighter, a fighter produced for export at the request of the Indian Air Force.
The Su-30SM inherits the high durability and flexible maneuverability of the Su-30MKI. In addition, the aircraft also has a major improvement: the integration of the N011M Bars phased array radar with a maximum detection range of up to 400 km.
The N011M Bars is one of the largest radars ever integrated into a fighter aircraft, providing a very high level of situational awareness against air, ground and sea targets, facilitating effective targeting with beyond visual range weapons.
Unlike the Su-35 and Su-34 which are dedicated air superiority and strike fighters respectively, the Su-30SM is a multirole aircraft well balanced between all types of missions.
Ukraine has received significant support from several NATO member states to modernize its drone warfare capabilities, including the provision of hundreds of unmanned boats along with thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Russian Su-30SM aircraft.
Unmanned ships began to be widely used in combat by Ukraine from October 2022, starting with an attack on the Russian Navy intelligence ship Ivan Khurs in the Black Sea.
One of the latest developments in USV-related activities was the capture by Russian forces of the V5 unmanned vessel of the Ukrainian Maritime Guard (MAGURA) over the weekend, raising expectations that this class of warship will be studied by Russia to develop suitable countermeasures.
This class of ships carries a payload of 320kg and has a range of nearly 850km. Currently, Ukraine's surface warship force is almost non-existent, so unmanned attack craft and mobile ground-based missile systems are seen as effective solutions to threaten Russian Navy warships.
Le Hung (Source: Military Watch)
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