Ukraine has claimed that it’s successfully used uncrewed surface vessels (USV), better known as drone boats, to launch aerial drones against Russian targets for the first time. According to Ukrainian authorities,

For the first time, Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) drones using a naval drone as a springboard took out three Russian air defense systems, Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security said on Jan.

“Only a week after Ukrainian sea drones made history by successfully taking down Russian helicopters, another historical first as our homegrown naval drones are now launching their own FPV drones, destroying Russia’s air defense units,” CSCIS said on social media.

Hard Cat, a Ukrainian drone maker, told Business Insider that the uncrewed drone, the Black Widow 2, can take out surface targets like small boats.

Missile-toting drone boats blew up two Russian helicopters and damaged a third in a Black Sea skirmish. Why it matters: Ukrainian outlets said the shoot-downs were world firsts. Engagements like this — especially with video evidence — leave little room for drone warfare naysayers.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet was defeated in an encounter with a country practically devoid of warships. The key turned out to be essentially armed, remote-controlled Ukrainian watercraft, which continue to evolve.