Copyright Newsweek
Ukraine has unveiled a new generation of maritime drones that it has trialed in the Black Sea, hoping it can threaten Russia’s war machine. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) presented its latest “Sea Baby” maritime unmanned platforms—which it said could travel more than 900 miles, operate anywhere in the Black Sea, carry heavier weapons and use artificial intelligence for precision strikes. Newsweek has contacted the SBU for further comment. Why It Matters Despite being dwarfed by Russia’s navy, Ukraine has delivered significant blows during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion to Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet, which has been pushed away from its main base in Crimea. The Sea Baby platform unveiled on Tuesday was used in Ukraine’s headline-grabbing strikes on the Crimean Bridge in June, and Kyiv will hope its additional capabilities can further tilt the balance of power in the Black Sea region. What To Know The SBU announced the latest model of the Sea Baby unmanned vessel, whose range has been expanded to 900 miles. It can carry over 4,400 pounds of payload and has features such as a multiple-rocket launcher and stabilized machine-gun turret. A demonstration on Wednesday showed off the capabilities of the new weapons with different armaments on display, including a 10-round Grad multiple-rocket launcher and a gyrostabilized machine-gun mount with automatic tracking. Ukraine has already used the unmanned naval drones to hit Russian vessels and infrastructure in the Black Sea. Ukrainian drone strikes have hit Russian frigates and missile carriers forcing the Russian navy to relocate its main base from Sevastopol in Crimea to Novorossiysk on Russia’s Black Sea coast. The SBU said sea drones have also helped its attacks against the Crimean Bridge, which is a symbol of Moscow’s occupation of the peninsula it illegally annexed in 2014. “The SBU became the first in the world to pioneer this new kind of naval warfare—and we continue to advance it,” SBU Brigadier General Ivan Lukashevych said, according to EuroNews. The Sea Baby was partly funded by money raised by Ukrainians on the United24 fundraising platform. What People Are Saying Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, said: “Our drones changed the balance of power in the Black Sea and increased their effectiveness. The new generation of ‘Sea Baby’ is even more effective.” What Happens Next Ukraine hopes the unveiling of the Sea Baby will undermine Russia’s ability to project naval power and maintain maritime logistics. The maritime unmanned platforms add to anticipation over whether Kyiv is planning further strikes against the Crimean Bridge.
