New Russian Navy ‘Murena’ Maritime Drone Shown With Possible Starlink
The war in the Black Sea has been shaped, maybe even defined, by maritime drones. So far it has been a Ukrainian dominated arena, with Russia lagging behind Ukraine in the adoption of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). Now Russia appears to be slowly entering the game with increasingly credible designs.
The latest type, the Murena-300S appears generally comparable with Ukrainian types. And more significantly, it appears to have a Starlink antenna.
The Murena (Moray Eel) is approximately the same size as the Ukrainian Magura V5 and Sea Navy designs. According to specifications shared at the Army-2024 defense show it has a top speed of 45 knots. It has a range of 500 km, but appears intended for inshore missions more than open water operations. The producer, LLC KB Center for Unmanned Systems, advertises it for Defense of Naval facilities, mine laying, mine clearance, patrolling and reconnaissance. It is also supposed to perform fire support of ground operations from the sea. Realistically its claimed 500kg payload could translate into a large explosive charge.