The Russian Navy Now Controls Ukraine's Combat Dolphin Program

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-controls-ukraines-combat-dolphins-2014-3


A U.S. Navy dolphin wearing a locating pinger, which aids in the discovery of sea mines..

The Russian Navy has recently taken control of an elite dolphin combat unit in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, RIA Novosti reports, citing an employee at the dolphin facility.
The extensive training and expertise of the dolphins will reportedly be redirected from the Ukrainian Navy to serve the Russian Navy.

The Ukrainians were going to end the program in April, but now the dolphins belong to Russia.

From RIA Novosti:

The dolphins are trained to patrol open water and attack or attach buoys to items of military interest, such as mines on the sea floor or combat scuba divers trained to slip past enemy security perimeters, known as frogmen. Man-made sonar systems are often incapable of detecting such small objects in crowded environments such as harbors.

The dolphin program was originally developed in the 1960s by the Soviets but was handed over to the Ukrainian Navy following the dissolution of the USSR. Due to a lack of funding, the Ukrainians mainly kept the dolphins for civilian uses.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-controls-ukraines-combat-dolphins-2014-3#ixzz2x50RIfWn

[joeybee12]

1. Thank God! Taking control of those dolphins will certainly put an end to the fascism

in Ukraine which Putin so desperately wants to get rid of...of course, the more cynical of you might say Putin was taking over Crimea with his rigged boat mainly for military startegic purposes and to have a port for the flow of oil. Shame!

[malthaussen]

2. Mr President! We must not allow a Combat Dolphin Gap!

... apologies to Stanley Kubrick.

-- Mal

[DetlefK]

3. "All I wanted was sharks with lasers on their head!!!"

[Orrex]

4. Now that's what I call an imperial agenda with a sense of porpoise