Ukrainian drones outmatch NATO ships in drills

Ukraine held naval drills with NATO partners, where its unmanned boats proved highly effective against Alliance vessels.

This was confirmed by Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk in an interview with Vechir.LIVE.

Citing the German outlet FAZ, reports said that during Ukraine–NATO naval drills held off the coast of Portugal, Ukrainian drones, including Magura unmanned surface vessels, defeated NATO forces in all five scenarios. In one case, a frigate was struck so effectively that it would have sunk under real combat conditions. Some crew members reportedly failed to detect the threat in time.

Pletenchuk shared details of the exercises: «Taking this specific example from last year, the Navy participated directly in these drills. I can confirm that one side was led by representatives of Ukraine, the Naval Forces, and other Defense and Security Forces. Standard Navy assets played a key role. The Magura boats were also a game-changer in this war in the Black Sea, but the main tasks were accomplished using standard equipment, and we (in the Navy — ed.) do not have this model of technology.»

He added that while the exercises did take place, the Ukrainian side does not endorse unofficial reporting of the details in Western outlets.

Pletenchuk stressed that the full-scale war has pushed Ukraine to rapidly adapt and create new military solutions, allowing it to deliver strong results even against partner forces.

He highlighted the Magura naval drones, which have already had a key impact on the dynamics in the Black Sea.

«All elements of the Defense Forces shaped the Black Sea situation, and these drones (Magura — ed.) played their role. But as you can see, today we still have to constantly seek new solutions, ” he noted.

During the drills, Ukrainian troops also showcased the Delta situational awareness system to their partners, a tool actively deployed on the front lines.

«And our partners were impressed, because in developing this program we got a bit ahead. Not just compared to our adversaries — we even outpaced our partners in this specific instance, ” Pletenchuk added.

Previously, Western outlets reported that in the most recent naval exercises, the Ukrainian team defeated NATO forces across all five scenarios, highlighting the vulnerability of large vessels to advanced unmanned systems.