Mikhail Danilenko News Today

Russian military-industrial conglomerate KMZ presented a new maritime drone named 'Oduvanchik' (Dandelion), reported Ukrainian military news outlet Militarny on Dec. 15.

The first Russian crewless boat (maritime surface drone) for the Defense Ministry has been built and will be sent for testing in the special operations zone, Mikhail Danilenko, the CEO of the KMZ military-industrial holding company, told Sputnik.

Ukraine deploys sea drones against Russian ships while Russia readies advanced marine drone boats, intensifying the conflict in the region.

Russia’s defense industry is scrambling to develop naval drones in a lagging effort to bridge the technological gap with Ukraine, the UK’s Defense Ministry reported on Dec. 1.

Russia has developed an innovative way to swiftly identify drones based on the “friend" or "foe” principle. A compact and lightweight new transponder automatically marks friendly drones at an altitude of up to 5 km.

The first batch of new Russian naval drones to be tested in battlefield conditions is going to consist of ten units, each capable of reaching a speed of up to 80 kilometers per hour and carrying up to 600 kilograms worth of payload, explosive or otherwise