Ukraine: a “gliding submarine” to control the Black Sea?

Already severely battered, Russia could have concerns for its cruisers and patrol boats in the Black Sea. Dominant thanks to its swarms of drones and its naval drones, Ukraine is on the verge of a decisive naval revolution. Curiously, the good news comes from the United Arab Emirates, where the Ukrainian company Highlands Systems, expatriated for several years, is reportedly developing a “gliding submarine” called Kronos.

The functional, life-size prototype of Kronos was presented at a defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi in March 2023. The project is so revolutionary that it even seems too good to be true: perhaps this is the will of kyiv, which would brandish the scarecrow of the powerful submarine as part of its propaganda.

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Presented on the Highlands Systemes website, the device, black, yellow and red, is unusual: it adopts a sleek profile similar to that of a stealth plane. A design intended to approximate that of the manta ray, a marine creature.renowned for her graceful and efficient movements”details the military media Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP).

Originally developed to meet the desire for underwater exploration of a very wealthy clientele, its design was re-evaluated with the start of the war in Ukraine. Now it is profiled to become a decisive weapon in the naval operations carried out by kyiv.

A 180 degree turn at full speed

For good reason: the electric propulsion device demonstrates qualities hitherto non-existent on submarines. THE Kronos is designed to quickly dive to depths of up to 820 feet, and to perform a full 180 degree turn at maximum speed.

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Featuring enough power to run for 54 hours, or 18 hours in battery-only mode, Kronos is equipped with six torpedoes Black Scorpio and has a maximum underwater speed of 27 knots, equivalent to that of US Los Angeles-class nuclear submarines.”rapid attack”, indicates SOFREP.

It is a hybrid-electric model piloted by one person, although Highland Systems claims the submarine can “comfortably accommodate 10 passengers”. The device has a range of 1,000 kilometers, a spokesperson for the ship’s developer told Fast Company.

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Six submarines to control the Black Sea

“Its design and functionality have already sparked discussions about the future of naval warfare”we can read in the SOFREP report. “The emphasis on agility, affordability and faster deployment could represent a shift toward a more dynamic and potentially asymmetric approach to undersea combat.”

“This could lead to a future where smaller, more agile ships like the Kronos would challenge the dominance of larger, traditional submarines. the report continues. Highland Systems told Fast Company that just six submarines could “control the Black Sea“. Besides launching torpedoes, it can “sneak past the belly of an enemy ship” to attach and detonate magnetic mines from a safe distance, according to the newspaper.

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The price of the submarine is not known, but Highland Systems says it will be significantly cheaper than conventional military submarines, which typically cost at least hundreds of millions of dollars.

The functional, life-size prototype of Kronos was presented at a defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi in March 2023, but it is not clear when the device will be ready. However, “Whether or not it lived up to expectations, the Kronos undoubtedly rubbed salt in the wound, forcing the world to take notice and consider the changing landscape of naval warfare.