Ukrainian Gunboat Struck By Russian Lancet Loitering Munition (Updated)
The Gyurza-M class patrol boat, one of just seven Ukraine built, is seen being struck by a Lancet in a newly surfaced video.
Video has emerged of what appears to be an attack by a Russian Lancet loitering munition on one of the Ukrainian Navy’s few remaining patrol boats.
Videos posted on Telegram by the official RIA Novosti Russian news agency and subsequently on Twitter appear to show a Lancet drone hitting a Ukrainian Gyurza-M class armored artillery patrol boat roughly amidships on the port side.
The exact date and location of the apparent strike, as well as the condition of the boat, are unknown at this moment. It is thought that a number of these ships, possibly four of the seven built, have been captured by Russia so we could be seeing them using one of them 'for target practice' as part of a propaganda play. Whether it's that or a true combat loss, one of these ships has been badly damaged if not destroyed.
According to RIA Novosti, the Lancet that struck the boat is a newer version with an 11-pound warhead. The Lancet is designed to operate primarily via man-in-the-loop control and transmits video from its onboard targeting system to its controller via line-of-sight datalink. Ria Novosti states that while previous versions of the Lancet had two sets of large cruciform wings, the newest variant has just one, which would match what we see in the video.
The 75-foot long Gyurza-M class armored patrol boats are designed for riverine and littoral missions and has a crew of five.
They are armed with BM-5M.01 Katran-M remote-controlled module guns fore and aft. Each turret is fitted with 30 mm ZTM-1 automatic cannons. The boats also carry a 30mm grenade launcher and 7.62mm machine guns, as well as man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS). Provisions to carry anti-armor 'Barrier' guided missiles also exist.
The Ukrainian Navy originally had seven of these boats, but four were captured when Russia seized Berdyansk, leaving three remaining. Initially, Ukraine had hoped to build 20 of those boats.
Russia's security services had previously seized a pair of these vessels, along with a Ukrainian Navy tug, during an incident in the Sea of Azov in 2018, before returning them in very poor condition the following year. You can read more about that in our coverage here.
This is a developing story. We will update it if and when we get more information.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Update 12:15 PM EST Nov. 6
The Gyurza-M class armored artillery boat belonged to the Ukrainian Navy and was hit by a Russian Lancet drone close to the Black Sea port of Ochakiv, a Ukrainian naval source tells The War Zone.
The vessel, which was likely hit Friday, was not significantly damaged, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive issues.
“This one will be repaired in about a week,” said the source.
