Ukrainian Naval Drones: From Reconnaissance to Mine Clearance and Strategic Operations
At the international Defense Tech Valley 2025 exhibition held in Lviv, the Ukrainian naval unmanned systems made a striking debut, showcasing the Toloka-1000, the largest among the current fleet of underwater drones developed by Toloka.
This project is part of a broader line of unmanned underwater vehicles designed to perform complex tasks in the maritime domain, including reconnaissance, mine clearance, and seabed mapping.
According to Defense Express analysts, at least three models belong to this family — TLK-200, TLK-400, and Toloka-1000, with their designations likely indicating their diameters in millimeters.
Company representatives emphasize that these drones can independently detect, classify, and neutralize underwater mines, significantly enhancing the safety and efficiency of maritime operations.
The TLK-200 is a compact, electric autonomous underwater vehicle intended for short and medium-range missions.
It can operate up to 100 km away from the launch point, carry payloads up to 15 kg, and remain submerged for up to 15 days.
Typical tasks include reconnaissance, mine detection, and maintaining radio relay communications.
Its hull, with a diameter of 200 mm and a length of 2.9 meters, is equipped with electric motors, GNSS and AI-INS navigation, as well as optical or thermal guidance systems and sensors for detecting radio frequency emissions.
The second model, TLK-400, is a larger drone with a hybrid power setup comprising four electric motors and an internal combustion engine, designed for medium-range missions with a range up to 1200 km, payload capacity of 500 kg, endurance up to 60 days, operating depth of up to 300 meters, and a length of 12 meters.
It also incorporates advanced navigation with AI-INS, DVL, GNSS, along with thermal imaging, optical cameras, and acoustic systems for a broad set of operational tasks — from target search to mine laying.
The flagship, Toloka-1000, is a colossal drone built for long-distance and heavy-duty operations.
It can cover distances up to 2000 km, carry cargo weighing up to 5 tons, stay at sea for up to 60 days, and operate at depths of up to 300 meters with a composite hull or 30 meters with a metal one.
Designed for material delivery, target attacks, reconnaissance, and mine-laying, Toloka-1000 boasts a hybrid power system, satellite communications with FHSS, four integrated neural networks (optical, thermal, acoustic, inertial), and advanced targeting systems.
Ukrainian naval drones already attracted Russian interest; notably, one of them successfully eliminated five elite divers.
This demonstrates their combat capability and strategic importance in Ukraine’s defense landscape.