Ukrainian Defence Forces test new Black Widow 2 river drones
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting military tests of Black Widow 2 small riverine kamikaze unmanned boats designed to perform combat and reconnaissance missions in difficult conditions.
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This was reported by the Braive1 technology cluster with reference to a report by Suspilne.
The new drone is compact in size: 1 metre long and weighs 8 kg, which makes it easy to manoeuvre in narrow river channels. The boat can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h and has a range of up to 10 km, and its battery provides several hours of operation. The drone can stay in standby mode for several days, waiting for a target.
The operator controls the drone using a camera on a rotating platform that works both day and night. The boat's payload is 3kg, which is enough to destroy small boats or launches.
"We are also an FPV, but on water," the developer emphasises, explaining the similarity of control principles with drones used for first-person flight.
Black Widow 2 river unmanned vehicle: Suspilne
The development of the drone began in 2023 at the request of the Ukrainian military, which needed an effective way to counter Russian rotations on the Dnipro islands. Military tests are currently underway in two brigades of the Armed Forces.
According to the developers, one drone costs less than 100,000 hryvnias, and production capacity allows for the production of up to 100 units per month. The first prototype was presented at the Defence Tech Valley investment summit in October 2024. In addition to the kamikaze model, the company is working on a boat for clearing anchor mines and a larger version of the drone for specialised missions.
Source: Suspilne
