Ukraine’s tiny navy is using a WWI-era tactic to confuse its enemy
Ukraine’s navy released images of vessels with what is likely a dazzle-camouflage paint job.
It stems from a WWI-era tactic to make it harder for the enemy to gauge a ship’s speed and direction.
A naval expert told BI that the tactic has limited use, but could help against drones.
Ukraine’s navy has revealed a fresh paint job on some of its vessels, which appear to have adopted a World War I-era tactic of using dazzle camouflage.
The Ukrainian navy shared the images on social media on Thursday, showing versions of the paintwork.
The vessels included at least one small armored artillery boat and an island-class patrol vessel, according to military site MilitaryNYI.
The boats were pictured taking part in a demonstration for naval experts from Denmark, which is cooperating with Ukraine on various naval issues, Ukraine’s navy said.
It’s unclear when the paint job was applied.
A Ukrainian Small Armored Artillery Boat painted in the apparent dazzle camouflage.Ukrainian Navy
In the pictures, the boats feature distinctive, jagged patterns in various shades of gray, likely a design approach meant to confuse enemy onlookers.
The idea is that the differing shapes trick the eye, making it hard to calculate a ship’s speed and direction.
How much of an edge it will really give Ukraine’s boats in modern warfare remains to be seen.
“This does appear to be dazzling camouflage,” Sidharth Kaushal, a sea power expert at the UK’s Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider.
He said the tactic could have some utility against optical sensors — on drones, for example — “but would have less value against radar-guided threats.”
Dazzle camouflage first emerged in World War I as a means to confuse enemy submarines and reduce their ability to effectively aim torpedoes.
However, it has also seen some modern usage.
In 2021, the Royal Navy’s HMS Tamar was repainted in dazzle camo as a way to give it a “distinct identity” before it set off on a tour, the BBC reported.
HMS Tamar with dazzle camouflage in 2021.Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images
In July 2023, Russia also used a related gambit, painting its ships with blocks of black at each end in an apparent attempt to make them appear smaller and, therefore, harder to strike accurately.
At the time, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was being targeted by Ukraine, which was using long-range missiles and drones to take out vessels.
This resulted in the relocation of much of the Russian fleet from the strategic port of Sevastopol, in Crimea, to the further away port of Novorossysk.
Ukraine’s navy has no large ships on active duty and consists mainly of small vessels, like those seen in the recent images.
Denmark’s recently-announced cooperation with Ukraine aims to address issues of protecting Ukrainian ports and securing the Black Sea grain corridor, as well as the removal of naval mines and helping it to develop a more modern fleet, Ukraine’s navy said.
In October, Denmark announced a $340 million aid package for Ukraine, which included new weapons and equipment.
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