Ursula River Drone

Ursula is a compact unmanned surface vessel developed by Kyiv-based NoviTechNet and revealed in July 2025. Roughly one metre long, the river drone is designed to operate covertly along inland waterways — small enough to conceal itself among a river’s flora, yet capable enough to be nicknamed a “tiny aircraft carrier.”

Mission profile

Ursula is a multifunctional river platform built to perform reconnaissance, transport and launch FPV drones, or operate as a remotely controlled floating mine. Its low silhouette and small footprint make it well-suited to riverine environments where larger USVs would be impractical or easily detected.

Key advantages

• Concealable footprint. At approximately 1 metre in length, Ursula can hide among reeds and shoreline vegetation, allowing it to approach targets and observation points without being spotted.
• Multi-role payload. The same hull can carry sensor packages for reconnaissance, FPV drones for aerial strike, or explosive charges for direct action — a single platform configurable per mission.
• Riverine reach. Purpose-built for inland waterways where conventional naval USVs cannot operate, opening a new operational domain for unmanned action.
• Battery-powered & low-signature. Electric propulsion keeps acoustic and thermal signatures minimal, complementing the visual concealment offered by the small profile.

Operational context

Ursula was developed in the context of Ukraine’s response to Russia’s full-scale invasion. It builds on the experience of larger Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels — including operations in December 2024 against Russian oil platforms in the Black Sea, where USVs carrying FPV drones were used against installations equipped with radar and GPS jamming systems — and adapts the carrier-USV concept to the very different scale and tactical needs of inland waterways.

About the project

Developer: NoviTechNet, Kyiv. Public reveal: 12 July 2025.