Defence Intelligence of Ukraine presents Magura W6P reconnaissance naval drone

Militarnyi’s correspondent reported the details about the new unmanned system from a closed presentation by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

The Magura W6P is designed for reconnaissance and patrol missions at sea, as well as cargo delivery. According to the developers, it can no longer be used for strike operations as a kamikaze drone, although the display model still retains contact fuses in the nose section.

The new model of the naval drone is essentially a trimaran, meaning a vessel with two additional hulls, also known as outriggers. This design makes the vessel more stable in the water and reduces lateral rolling during movement or rough seas.

With a comparable weight to the Magura V5, the new design allowed the deck to be expanded to 2 meters, which can be effectively used as a platform for mounted equipment, including launch containers for strike FPV drones. When fully loaded, the Magura W6P weighs 1,900 kilograms, of which 400 kg is allocated for payload.

Unlike other models in the family, this drone is powered by a Suzuki DF200 outboard motor with 200 horsepower, which enables the vessel to cruise at a speed of 21 knots and reach a maximum speed of 36 knots. This is slower than the Magura V5, which can reach speeds of up to 50 knots when fully loaded, but the operational range has increased — the operational zone has been expanded from 800 to 1,000 km.

It is claimed that the drone is equipped with an automatic target tracking system, which could play an important role in enabling autonomous patrols of maritime areas.

For reconnaissance, the drone is equipped with a gyro-stabilized optical station with both daytime and thermal imaging channels, as well as an onboard shipborne radar system from Furuno.

The onboard radar visually resembles the dome-shaped radars of the DRS4D series, which can detect ships at a range of 20-30 kilometers, and large vessels such as tankers up to 60 kilometers. Small boats and vessels can be detected by this radar within a radius of about 7 kilometers. However, given the low height of the antenna placement, these parameters may be less effective.

It is likely that the drone’s arsenal will also include other sensors for maritime situational awareness. In particular, the Magura V7 drone, presented on the same day, is equipped with an acoustic monitoring system.

Like other drones in the family, the Magura W6P uses a multi-channel satellite communication system, making it resistant to interference from enemy electronic warfare systems.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Navy, together with developers of maritime drones, is working on creating forces and means to protect Ukrainian maritime areas from the threat of maritime drones.

The plan is for specialized surface drones to become one of the key components in defending Ukraine’s maritime areas, focusing on patrolling, searching for, and eliminating threats. The Magura W6P may be integrated into this system as a reconnaissance component.

Source: Militarnyi