{"id":66442,"date":"2026-08-13T01:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T05:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/russian-ghost-fleet-adopts-mad-max-defenses-jefferies-hikes-coherent-target-to-420\/66442\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T01:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T05:08:15","slug":"russian-ghost-fleet-adopts-mad-max-defenses-jefferies-hikes-coherent-target-to-420","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/russian-ghost-fleet-adopts-mad-max-defenses-jefferies-hikes-coherent-target-to-420\/66442\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian &#8220;Ghost Fleet&#8221; Adopts &#8220;Mad Max&#8221; Defenses; Jefferies Hikes Coherent Target to $420"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Russian &quot;ghost fleet&quot; tankers<\/strong> are deploying improvised <strong>&quot;Mad Max&quot; style netting<\/strong> and metal cages to defend against escalating <strong>Ukrainian aerial and sea drone<\/strong> attacks in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Jefferies<\/strong> raised its price target for <strong>Coherent Corp. (<a href=\"\/stock\/COHR\">COHR<\/a>)<\/strong> to <strong>$420 from $375<\/strong>, maintaining a <strong>Buy<\/strong> rating following the company&#39;s robust fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Coherent Corp. (<a href=\"\/stock\/COHR\">COHR<\/a>)<\/strong> reported record annual revenue of <strong>$7 billion<\/strong> for fiscal 2026, driven by a <strong>28% pro forma revenue increase<\/strong> and surging demand for AI-related optical infrastructure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ukraine&#39;s Unmanned Systems Forces<\/strong> recently executed a massive operation targeting over <strong>130 Russian merchant vessels<\/strong>, significantly disrupting Moscow&#39;s maritime logistics and fuel supply to Crimea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Russian Tankers Turn to Improvised Armor Amid Drone Threats<\/h2>\n<p>Russia\u2019s sanctioned &quot;ghost fleet&quot; has begun utilizing unconventional defensive measures to protect oil shipments from Ukrainian sabotage. According to reports from the <em>Financial Times<\/em>, tankers are being outfitted with <strong>&quot;Mad Max&quot; style nets<\/strong> and metal &quot;cope cages&quot; designed to detonate incoming <strong>First-Person View (FPV) drones<\/strong> before they impact the hull or superstructure.<\/p>\n<p>These improvised fortifications have been spotted on vessels like the Suezmax tanker <em>Caruzo<\/em>, which was seen traversing the Bosphorus with its entire superstructure draped in protective netting. Maritime analysts suggest these measures reflect a growing desperation to maintain energy exports as <strong>Ukraine&#39;s Unmanned Systems Forces<\/strong> intensify strikes on naval logistics. In July 2026 alone, a coordinated campaign reportedly neutralized or damaged dozens of tankers in the <strong>Sea of Azov<\/strong>, leading to localized fuel shortages in Russian-occupied territories.<\/p>\n<h2>Jefferies Bullish on Coherent\u2019s AI-Driven Growth<\/h2>\n<p>On the financial front, <strong>Jefferies<\/strong> analyst Blayne Curtis has significantly increased the valuation of <strong>Coherent Corp. (<a href=\"\/stock\/COHR\">COHR<\/a>)<\/strong>, moving the price target to <strong>$420<\/strong>. This adjustment follows a &quot;blowout&quot; fiscal fourth-quarter performance where the company demonstrated its dominance in the <strong>AI data center optical infrastructure<\/strong> market.<\/p>\n<p>Coherent\u2019s management has outlined an aggressive growth trajectory, targeting its first <strong>$3 billion revenue quarter<\/strong> by the end of fiscal 2027. The company&#39;s confidence is bolstered by a planned <strong>doubling of internal indium phosphide output<\/strong> and a record backlog of bookings that now extends into <strong>calendar 2028<\/strong>. Despite a brief 5% post-earnings dip in share price due to profit-taking, analysts remain focused on the <strong>79% of revenue<\/strong> now generated by the high-growth Datacenter &amp; Communications segment.<\/p>\n<h2>Geopolitical Tensions Reshape Global Shipping Risks<\/h2>\n<p>The maritime conflict in the Black Sea is forcing a re-evaluation of global shipping risks and insurance costs. Beyond the immediate war zone, satellite imagery has revealed that Russia is now installing similar <strong>anti-drone netting<\/strong> at the <strong>Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base<\/strong> in the Pacific, over 4,500 miles from Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>This expansion of defensive measures suggests that Moscow views its entire maritime infrastructure as vulnerable to long-range or internally launched drone swarms. For the global energy market, the continued harassment of the <strong>shadow fleet<\/strong>\u2014which operates without standard Western insurance\u2014poses a persistent threat of environmental disaster and supply chain volatility as these aging, &quot;armored&quot; vessels navigate critical international waterways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Russian &quot;ghost fleet&quot; tankers are deploying improvised &quot;Mad Max&quot; style netting and metal cages to defend against escalating 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