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Ukraine’s Barracuda Drone Boats Hunt Russian Troop Boats with FPV Drones in Unique Operation
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukraine’s Barracuda drone carriers launched FPV drones from unmanned surface vessels to strike Russian boats transporting troops near Zaliznyi Port in the temporarily occupied part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, disrupting a reported Russian troop rotation along the Black Sea coast.
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The operation was carried out by the Barracuda special unit of Ukraine’s 40th Separate Marine Brigade, which released footage showing the drone boats navigating toward the target area before deploying FPV drones from onboard launch positions.
Ukrainian reconnaissance had earlier detected Russian forces conducting a rotation near Zaliznyi Port, prompting the Marines to deploy the unmanned surface vessels.
Russian forces attempted to intercept the Ukrainian drone boats using Geran-4 Seeker jet-powered drones. According to the brigade, one Barracuda vessel was destroyed, while the remaining platforms reached their launch positions and released the FPV drones they were carrying.
After launch, Ukrainian drone operators located Russian boats transporting personnel and struck them. “The result of the operation—the enemy rotation was disrupted and the enemy landing force was destroyed,” the 40th Separate Marine Brigade said.
The Barracuda unmanned surface platform was first publicly revealed in August 2025. Developed by the brigade’s Barracuda special unit, the vessel is designed as a modular platform for operations in coastal and river environments.
Depending on its configuration, Barracuda can perform reconnaissance, strike, transport, evacuation, mine-laying, ammunition delivery, and communications relay missions.
Some variants are configured as drone carriers, transporting FPV drones to launch points closer to their targets. Others can carry remotely operated weapon stations, electronic warfare systems, or explosive payloads.
The strike follows another reported use of Ukrainian naval drones in temporarily occupied Crimea. On August 7, Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels reached Yalta, where a fire broke out along the coastline after an attack targeting Russian forces. Imagery from the operation appeared to show one of the naval drones configured to carry FPV drones for follow-on strikes ashore.
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