Ukraine keeps making Putin feel the pain: Two Russian “Raptor” patrol boats were sunk off of Snake Island by a Ukrainian Bayraktar Turkish-built TB2 drone early on Monday morning, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported, citing the head of the Armed Forces General.
“Two Russian Raptor patrol boats were destroyed in the early hours of this morning near Snake [Zmiinyi] Island. #Bayraktar works! Together to Victory!” the MOD posted on Twitter.
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.
Where Is Snake Island?
Snake Island (Zmiinyi Island), is located about 70 nautical miles south of Odessa. Snake Island was the symbol of Ukrainian resistance early in the conflict as the tiny Ukrainian contingent of troops were recorded refusing Russian calls to surrender by the Russian cruiser Moskva. The Ukrainians answered the call by stating, “Russian warship, Go F**k Yourself.” The Moskva was later sunk by Neptune anti-ship missiles.
Russian Raptor Patrol Boat Specifications:
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.
-Maximum length – 17m
-Maximum width – 4m
-Height – 3.5m
-Depth – 0.9m
-Displacement – 23 tons
-Maximum speed – 50 knots
-Range – 300 miles. The crew comprises 2-3 men
It has special cabins to house anti-terrorist groups, divers, lifeguards, inspection, and rescue teams.
The Bayraktar drones have been previously highlighted by 19fortyfive.com in several articles, a recent one by Brent Eastwood puts out the specifications and capabilities of the Bayraktar.
The Bayraktar TB2 drones were used by Azerbaijan to great effect against Armenia during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. The TB2s destroyed scores of Armenian artillery, and armored vehicles, as well as fortified troop positions during the war.
Although the TB2 was considered prior to the invasion to be somewhat of a sitting duck against Russian anti-aircraft systems, it has been highly effective and a TB2 was used as bait when the Russian Black Sea flagship, Moskva was sunk.
MAM-L (Mini Akilli Muhimmat-Lazer) Micro Smart Munition:
A post by navalnews.com says the two Raptors were probably destroyed and sunk by MAM-L Micro Smart Munitions. The Mini Akıllı Mühimmat (MAM), which means “smart micro munition” is part of the family of laser-guided and/or GPS/INS guided bombs produced by Turkish defense industry manufacturer Roketsan.
MAM-L has been developed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), light attack aircraft, fighter aircraft, and air-to-surface missions for low-payload-capacity air platforms. MAM-L can engage targets with high precision against moving or stationary targets.
Specifications:
-Diameter: 6.3 inches (160mm)
-Length: 3 ft 3 inches (1 m)
-Weight: 22 kg
-Range: 15 km
-Seeker: Semi-Active Laser Seeker
-Warhead Types: Tandem Effective Against Reactive Armor, High-Explosive Blast Fragmentation, Thermobaric
-Fuse: Impact, Proximity
Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 19fortyfive.com, he has covered the NFL for PatsFans.com for more than 10 years and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.
