Ukrainian commander says NATO's naval-drone designs make him uneasy

NATO militaries are moving to develop new naval-drone fleets after watching their use in Ukraine, but a commander in Kyiv’s military intelligence agency says some designs leave him uneasy. Ukraine’s drones have damaged and destroyed Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels and forced Moscow to shift much of its operations away from occupied Crimea, the commander said.

He asked to be identified by his call sign, Ninth. Ninth welcomed other countries adopting elements of Ukraine’s combat experience and revising doctrines to equip fleets with drones. At the same time, he worries about technical requirements being given to shipbuilders and defense firms and about the way some navies are approaching design, system behavior, and electronics.

European and US navies have mainly used these vessels for patrols and surveillance, though NATO forces are increasingly incorporating them into exercises and the US recently used one in a novel rescue operation.

Ukraine, Kyiv

nato, naval drones, ukraine, black sea, russian fleet, crimea, military intelligence, shipbuilders, defense firms, us navy