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,

The war in Ukraine has produced astonishing events that will be discussed at military academies for decades. One of the more intriguing cases involves attempts to hunt down assault helicopters with FPV drones,

“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.

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.

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.

As a result of the attack on Jan. 6, two Russian anti-missile Pantsir-S1 systems and one OSA anti-aircraft vehicle were reportedly damaged or destroyed in the occupied part of Ukraine's southern Kherson Oblast.