As Ukraine’s long and intensely fought counteroffensive against Russia enters its fifth month, an unusual but uniquely effective weapon is set to enter the field: the Poloz-M16 combat kayak. The Ukrainian-produced craft, which resembles a normal kayak with a grenade launcher mounted to its bow, is designed as a cost-effective way to improve the ability of soldiers to complete covert water-based operations.
The use of specially designed military kayaks is not new; Both the U.S. and British militaries have been employing them since at least World War II for stealth-centric missions where larger watercraft would be tactically inappropriate. However, according to Serhiy Ostashenko, CEO of the Adamant Verf company, which produces the kayaks, the Poloz-M16 are notable for their low cost and flexibility. Despite costing a tenth of modern American and British equivalents, said Ostashenko in an interview with ABC News, the kayaks are stealth-outfitted, able to hold up to 550 pounds of cargo, lightweight, extremely durable, and remotely maneuverable. They can even be deployed into water by land vehicles and helicopters.
But the most obvious feature, of course, is the mounted grenade launcher that lends the kayak its offensive capabilities. The NATO-type UAG-40 launcher, invented and produced domestically in Ukraine, can fire a grenade to a distance of about a mile and absorbs recoil to prevent the kayak from destabilizing on the water. Combined with the watercraft’s stealth features, the kayak is equipped to bombard enemy encampments from hidden positions on bodies of water.
That’s not a niche situation in southeastern Ukraine, where the current counteroffensive is centered. Russian-occupied Ukraine is buttressed by Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, into which thousands of rivers empty. River crossings are an important operational concern for both sides in the war. The counteroffensive, which began in early June and is expected to continue at least into the winter, is concentrated mainly on the oblasts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, both of which border the Sea of Azov. Oblasts are political regions of Ukraine, roughly equivalent to provinces in other countries.
The key military goal for Ukraine this year is to retake Bakhmut, the city that Russia successfully seized after a long and bloody assault. Although liberating the city would be a major symbolic victory given that it has been Russia’s only major advance in the past year, some Western military analysts believe it would be a waste of Ukrainian troops and weaponry on a city that no longer holds significant strategic value. Nevertheless, Ukraine continues to push from all directions towards the city.
Crucial to Ukraine’s progress has been the arrival of new Western weaponry. In late September, the first 31 M1 Abrams tanks arrived in Ukraine. The American-made tanks, considered some of the most technologically advanced in the world, have been accompanied by other landmark weapons arrivals like the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and German-produced Leopard 1 Tank.
However, amid intense demand for weapons of all kinds, Ukraine is also trying to expand its ability to locally manufacture low-cost technology that can still be tactically and strategically viable. The Poloz-M16 kayak is just one of the newest examples of that effort. The government-initiated Brave Inventors platform details other domestic military tech efforts, both weapons and not. These include telemetry equipment, reconnaissance drones, and even a design for a portable field kitchen that is equipped to cook two-course meals for troops.
