A visual representation of how a basic shaped charge works.
Aim too close to the target and the copper drops will not have time to turn into a dart and hit the side of the ship like a paintball. Initiate the explosion too far and the copper will briefly take the form of a dart, but then continue to spread; then the effect is a bit like a shotgun blast.
Essentially, as the bomb got bigger or more technical attachments were attached to it so that the drone could continue to work, for example if it was hit by electronic warfare, the design of the entire ship had to change in order to keep the ship's shape, operability and safety. . maneuverable to avoid being hit by Russian bullets.
Not that there were many Russian bullets or other countermeasures for that matter.
These drones may be relatively new, but the threat from small boats, sometimes called fast attack boats, is not new; Iran has been doing this for decades. In October 2000, al-Qaeda suicide bombers crashed bomb-laden boats into the USS Cole, killing 17 US sailors while refueling a guided-missile destroyer in the Yemeni port of Aden.
So any decent fleet has since developed ways to deal with threats.
First, speed. If the target ship is moving faster than 20 knots, it is very difficult for a tiny motorboat loaded with explosives to catch it. Plus, if the target maneuvers, creating waves, the drone is even harder. Any vessel of value may also have outriders looking for such threats and sentries with weapons trained to fire on any approaching danger.
More difficult, but no less effective, if the attacked ship disables the satellite communications that control the drone. Snap this lifeline on and the ship will be left bobbing in the water.
The importance of power outages
There is a role for the wider society as well. Towns and villages along the coast of any country at war must observe strict blackout drills to better protect themselves, and also as a means to keep any ships out at sea. But, of course, Vladimir Putin will not tell his people that they are at war.
All this makes it astounding that, despite numerous similar attacks over the past 18 months, the Russian landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak has been hit by last Friday, slowly traveled through an active war zone lit with lights shining on the nearby coastline, and no one was watching the drones.
Russia's inability to learn from past mistakes is one of the reasons Ukraine continues to use and develop these maritime drones. But now there are two more.
First, these attacks tell Russia that if it wants to continue trading from Novorossiysk and other Black Sea ports, it needs to allow Ukraine to get grain from Odessa. . This trump card may be better than relying on political deals through international third parties to solve the grain crisis.
Second, given that the counteroffensive has turned out to be tougher than Kiev may have expected, a constant diet of headlines and photos showing the results of Russian strikes on civilian areas will do nothing for national morale and will simply be ignored in some parts of the world.
However, shift the narrative and add images of drones hurtling toward targets at sea, followed by sinking ships, and the titles change. The story then becomes a story of resilience, innovation, ingenuity, and the precise application of extreme violence that can strike anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Even if this thought does not cause Russia to divert resources from land to protect the sea, it will get into the heads of the Russians and undermine their morale.
To Russian sailors, this sea will now appear much darker and deeper.
Watch the accompanying video for this article with Dominik's analysis at the link at the top of the page. For more Defense in the Details, visit The Telegraph YouTube.
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