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| Russia Successfully Destroys Gyurza-M Class Warship Using Lancet Loitering Ammunition |
Moscow - The Ukrainian patrol ship Gyurza-M class, was struck by Russian Lancet loitering ammunition while on the port side. This appears to be a Russian Lancet roaming ammunition attack on the remaining Ukrainian Navy patrol boats. The attack was posted on Telegram by Russia's official RIA Novosti news agency, then spread on Twitter. The attack appears to show the Lancet drone hitting the Gyurza-M-class armored artillery patrol boat, one of seven Ukrainian-built.
Quoted from The War Zone, Saturday (11/5/2022), the exact date and location of the attack, as well as the condition of the ship, are currently unknown. It is estimated that a number of these armored artillery patrol boats, perhaps four of the seven built by Ukraine, have been captured by Russia. “So there are allegations that Russia used one of them for target training as part of a propaganda game. It could also be that this was an actual combat attack, so this Ukrainian ship was badly damaged,” wrote The War Zone.
#war Video of the defeat of the 🇺🇦Ukrainian armored Gyurza-class gunboat by a 🇷🇺Russian kamikaze drone(probably a Lancet UAV) . The source claims that the incident occurred in the water area of the Kakhovsky reservoir(the Dnieper River). pic.twitter.com/B0iD1NCd1E
— Capt(N) (@Capt_Navy) November 4, 2022
According to RIA Novosti, the Lancet that hit the Ukrainian patrol boat was a newer version with an 11-pound warhead. The Lancet is designed to operate primarily via man-in-the-loop control and transmit video from the onboard targeting system to its controller via a line-of-sight datalink.
Ria Novosti stated that while the previous Lancet version had two sets of large cross wings. For the latest variant it has only one, which will match what we see in the video. The Gyurza-M-class armored patrol boat is 75 feet long, designed for river and coastal missions operated by a crew of five. This patrol boat is armed with BM-5M.01 Katran-M remote control module weapons in front and aft.
Each turret is equipped with a ZTM-1 30 mm automatic cannon. The ship also carries a 30mm grenade launcher and 7.62mm machine gun, as well as a portable air defense system (MANPADS). Can also carry anti-armor 'Barrier' guided missiles. The Ukrainian Navy initially owned seven of these ships, but four of them were captured when Russia captured Berdyansk, leaving only three units left.
Initially, Ukraine hoped to build 20 such patrol boats. Russian security services had previously seized a pair of these vessels, along with a Ukrainian Navy tugboat, during an incident in the Sea of Azov in 2018. They were returned in very poor condition the following year.