A Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 drone sunk two Russian “Raptor” patrol boats off the coast of Snake Island early Monday morning, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, quoting the Chief of the Armed Forces General.
The Bayraktar TB2 strike drone destroyed Raptor patrol boats in the waters of the Black Sea with a direct hit. Judging by the coordinates, the incident occurred in the area of Snake Island on May 2, 2022, but there are no official comments on this matter.
Ukrainian TB2 drone destroyed two Russian ‘Raptor’ patrol boats #Ukraine️ #Russia pic.twitter.com/eBExLXprF0
— Defence View (@IndiandefenceNS) May 2, 2022
On the presented video frames, you can see the moment of detection of a small patrol accessory by the Bayraktar TB2 strike unmanned aerial vehicle. Moments later, the ship is struck. Judging by the power of the explosion, the ship received critical damage. However, due to the absence of any signs of belonging on the affected ship, it has not yet been possible to obtain official comments. 13 minutes later, the second vessel was also hit, which, apparently, noticed the drone and tried to escape
The strikes, judging by the information on the display of the operator of the Bayraktar TB2 drone, were delivered from a distance of about 6-7 kilometers, although Bayraktar TB2 drones have not previously been used to hit sea targets.
On the presented video frames, one can also notice the time of the strikes, however, at the moment it remains unknown whether the presented time corresponds to the actual one. Earlier, NATO reconnaissance and combat aircraft were also seen in the area. In this regard, experts do not exclude the possibility that the strikes could be coordinated by the Alliance.
However According Ukrainian MOD tweet “Two Russian Raptor patrol boats were destroyed in the early hours of this morning near Snake [Zmiinyi] Island. #Bayraktar works! Together to Victory!”.
Included in the MOD’s tweet was a video that depicted the Russian patrol boats being hit and destroyed by incoming missiles. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was quoted in the statement saying, “The Bayraktars are working,” referring to the Turkish-made drones.
Raptor class boats
The Raptor-class (Project 03160) assault boats are built by Russian shipbuilder JSC Leningrad Shipyard Pella. The Raptors were designed with the mission of patrolling and the transfer of up to 20 troops in the coastal zone of the seas, at a maximum distance of up to 100 miles from the base. They are tasked with engaging in rescue operations, intercepting small targets, defend ports and bases.
The Raptors are armed with a 14.5mm remotely operated machine gun that has an optical-electronic module that has a detection range of 3000 meters and can accurately fire up to 2000 meters. The boat also has two Pecheneg 6P41 7.62mm machine guns. The armored protection includes Br4 class panels and windows with 39mm thick bullet-resistant glass.