Ukraine-linked firm UForce has unveiled its largest Magura-family uncrewed surface vessel to date, the MV11, designed to act as a “drone mothership.”
The drone boat was publicly unveiled for the first time during Monday’s parade of uncrewed systems on the Dnipro River in Kyiv to help mark Ukraine’s Independence Day.
The MV11 was part of a flotilla of nine drones which also included other Magura attack variants, and Sea Baby and Sargan platforms.
The MV11 is designed to operate as a mobile offshore base transporting, launching and recovering other aerial or interceptor drones far from shore. It was developed by UFORCE’s design and R&D arm in Portugal, building on the Atlantic Ocean experience of its smaller MV7 predecessor.
The USV has an overall length of up to 12 metres, and can carry a maximum payload of up to 2.2 tonnes in weight and 10 cubic metres in volume. It has an endurance of up to 7 days, with a maximum range of over 2,000 nautical miles.
It can be configured with a range of weapon systems, including a fully autonomous short- and medium-range air-defence variant with multiple aerial interceptors, and/or a gyro-stabilized 12.7 mm turret, and a full sensor suite for radar surveillance and target tracking.
As per a UForce statement: “MV11 is an ocean-going mothership built to carry, launch and recover other unmanned systems far offshore — reconnaissance, surveillance, amphibious operations and resupply at sea.”
UForce CEO Oleg Rogynskyy explained the rationale behind the new platform, saying: “You can have boats go out 800 nautical miles off an adversary’s coast and launch small drones from there. You can strike targets at long range, really cheaply.”
While headquartered in London, UForce also recently revealed it had teamed up with Portland-based U.S. boatbuilder Reconcraft to produce its Magura sea drones in the U.S.
- You can read more details about the MV11 on the UForce website
