Drones and Swedish engineering: Story of the BK-16 ship hit in Crimea
Photo: Russian BK-16 boat (Russian media)
Ukrainian forces successfully struck the BK-16 landing craft overnight near Novozerne, in temporarily occupied Crimea, according to the Telegram of the General Staff.
The Project 02510 BK-16 high-speed transport and landing boats are a series of Russian high-speed transport and landing craft built for the Russian Navy.
History of the boats
Project 02510 BK-16 boats are based on the Combat Boat 90, developed by the Swedish company Dockstavarvet, part of Saab. Russia began serial production at the Rybinsk Shipyard, part of the Kalashnikov concern.
In November 2014, the first BK-16 boat was delivered to temporarily occupied Sevastopol for testing.
The boats were first used in combat by Russia in March 2022 at the port of Berdyansk. By summer of the same year, videos appeared showing BK-16 boats operating in the Dnipro River.
Armament
The main combat component of the boat is a remote-controlled module from Kalashnikov. It includes a 12.7 mm machine gun or a single 40 mm grenade launcher, four 7.62 mm machine guns, and four naval mines or a guided missile launcher.
The boats are also equipped with light ZALA drones, capable of transmitting live video up to 25 kilometers away.
Ukrainian forces targeting the Russian fleet
Previously, Ukrainian drones carried out a massive strike on the Russian Black Sea Fleet overnight on March 2. Intelligence sources confirmed that the joint operation by the SBU and Armed Forces resulted in the destruction of the minehunter Valentin Pikul.
The frigate Admiral Essen suffered critical damage during the attack and can no longer launch Kalibr missiles. The extent of damage to the frigate Admiral Makarov remains under review. Additionally, the attack may have seriously damaged the anti-submarine ships Yeysk and Kasimov.
