Despite over $100 billion in aid from the U.S., Ukraine continues to struggle in its war with Russia and continues to ask for more aid.
The much-anticipated, and publicized, counteroffensive has sputtered … but wait …
According to ABC News, “Ukrainian engineers and special forces soldiers tested what they believe can be a game-changer in the Ukrainian counteroffensive: the Poloz-M16.”
What is it?
It’s a kayak with a grenade launcher.
"To design something like this you have to build boats for 30 years. That's what I've been doing," Serhiy Ostashenko, CEO of the Adamant Verf company, which produces the kayaks, told ABC News. He designed the Poloz-M16 overnight, he said, after special forces soldiers came to him with a need, and an idea.
"Poloz-M16 is similar to what the American and British soldiers have been using, but it's ten times cheaper, around 2,500 dollars per item," Ostaschenko explained to ABC News.
Watch out Putin, Ukraine is about to have total canal, stream, creek, and brook superiority.
The ABC News report notes: "What particularly makes the Poloz-M16 a combat kayak is a Ukrainian-produced NATO-type UAG-40 grenade launcher mounted in the bow, which can fire a projectile at a distance of up to just over a mile. A special mechanism absorbs the weapon's recoil, keeping the kayak stable on the water."
Ostashenko said: "So our Poloz is not afraid of any bulletproof speed boat. It can hide in the reeds and fire at the enemy like in a shooting range."
ABC News not so subtly dropped in a plea for allies to send even more aid money to Ukraine, writing: "The Poloz-M16 is just one of hundreds of things that Ukrainian specialists have created since the start of the Russian invasion, said Ostashenko. He and his engineering colleagues add that when you're short of conventional weapons, you have to be creative."
Not surprisingly, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is backtracking on his plan to remove Ukraine aid from a massive military spending bill. The California Republican’s U-turn comes a day after he told reporters he would remove the roughly $300 million from the Pentagon bill and give it a separate vote as he faced GOP pushback on its inclusion.
Back to the combat kayak, commenters on the AR-15.com forums injected a dose of reality:
"I would not want to be in a kayak when return fire is incoming."
"That's the beauty of it. After one burst the recoil must be pushing the boat away at 30+ knots. The ultimate shoot and scoot vehicle."
"Am I missing the advantage of a man-rowed grenade launcher?"
"Not saying it could not be a unique tool for specific situations - it does look like a good way to be a target without cover."
And the instant classic: "Paddle bro! F---ing paddle!"
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