Suicide unmanned boats, the new nightmare of the US Navy

Mondo Military Updated on 2024-02-27

The war between Russia and Ukraine has not only upset the geopolitical balance in Eastern Europe, but also shows some trends in future wars. From suicide drones and cruise missiles in the air to suicide drones underwater, it all illustrates the fact that "the future battlefield will be filled with all kinds of highly unmanned **" for the Houthis, who are engaged in a fierce confrontation with the US Navy in the Red Sea, and Iran behind it, they also seem to be aware of this. Therefore, the suicide unmanned boat, which once gave the Russian Navy a headache, unexpectedly and reasonably appeared in the Red Sea. This time, the US Navy will face such a troublesome ......

According to reports, a commander of the US Navy revealed that Yemen's Houthi rebels detonated an armed unmanned boat loaded with explosives in the Red Sea. Fortunately, the boat did not come close to any merchant ships or American boats in front of the **, and did not cause any ** and no losses. But the U.S. military also said that this is the first time that the Houthis have used such a ** in the Red Sea.

This is a dangerous signal for the U.S. Navy, which may be a deliberate attempt by the Houthis to test the U.S. military's response and deterrence. Of course, this could also be a failed attack, but it was still enough to make the US ** boat more vigilant.

In the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Ukrainian army used self-made or Western-provided suicide unmanned boats to repeatedly attack the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and border guards, causing damage and decommissioning of many Russian ** boats. These unmanned boats have the characteristics of small size, low noise, strong concealment and high maneuverability, and it is difficult for them to be detected and effectively intercepted by Russian first-class boats in time. Especially at night or in conditions of poor visibility, the attack of a "wolf pack" consisting of several unmanned boats is almost impossible to defend against.

In fact, for manned ships, in the face of the attack of unmanned boats, the biggest problem is how to detect them in time. Because the radar reflection area of these unmanned boats is small, some also use non-metallic materials or semi-submersible designs, making the radar signal weaker or more difficult to detect. By the time the anti-sea radar detects them, the unmanned boat may have approached the target, leaving the manned ship with little reaction and interception time.

In terms of interception means, U.S. ** boats are usually equipped with machine guns on both sides of the hull, as well as "phalanx" close-in defense guns using the Gatling principle. These ** can effectively repel and combat some manned speedboats, as well as deal with close-range engagements, and machine guns can also be used to fire and detonate mines on the surface. However, in the face of the attack of the "wolf pack" of multiple unmanned boats, it is difficult to say whether these ** can also play a role.

Judging from the use of unmanned boats by the Ukrainian army, they will camouflage and reinforce the unmanned boats to make it difficult for the human eye to detect, or to increase the bomb resistance. Only after being hit several times will the unmanned boat be destroyed. If the defenders cannot hit the unmanned boat several times in a row in a limited time, then it will be difficult for them to avoid being attacked.

As a result, the US Navy is under tremendous pressure. In the face of the Houthi rebels, which are supported by Iran, the US ** boat has performed well in the previous escort operations mainly based on air defense and anti-missile defense, and has successfully shot down many anti-ship missiles, drones, and ballistic missiles. But now, they have one more threat, and that is unmanned boats. I don't know if the U.S. military will follow in the footsteps of the Russian army, if there are really ships damaged by the attack of unmanned boats, then the U.S. Navy will lose face......

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