Ukraine’s state security service (SBU) has unveiled an upgraded maritime drone which it says can now operate anywhere in the Black Sea, carry heavier weapons and use artificial intelligence for targeting.

Ukraine has used the unmanned naval vessels for attacks against Russian ships and infrastructure in the Black Sea. SBU credits ‘Sea Baby’ with strategic shift in Russian naval operations.

The range of the ‘Sea Baby’ has been increased from 1,000 km to 1,500 km, while the carrying capacity reaches 2,000 kg, SBU officials said. In a demonstration covered by the Associated Press, variants equipped with multiple rocket launchers and another with a fixed machine gun turret were shown.

Brigadier General Ivan Lukashevich of the SBU said the new vessels carry AI-assisted targeting systems for friend-foe discrimination, can launch small attack aircraft and have multi-layered self-destruct systems to prevent capture.

New type of naval warfare

Drone strikes have been successfully used in attacks against 11 Russian ships, including frigates and missile carriers, the SBU said, prompting the Russian navy to move its main base from Sevastopol in Crimea to Novorossiysk on Russia’s Black Sea coast.

“SBU became the first in the world to pioneer this new type of naval warfare, and we continue to develop it,” said Lukashevich, adding that the “Sea Baby” has evolved from an attack vessel into a reusable, multi-functional platform that expands Ukraine’s offensive options.

Authorities have asked that the time and place of the demonstration not be made public for security reasons.

The boats are controlled remotely from a mobile control center inside a van, where operators use a series of displays and controls.

Ukrainian maritime drones are changing the balance in the Black Sea

The SBU also reported that maritime drones have helped carry out other high-profile attacks, including those on the Crimean Bridge, most recently targeting its underwater supports in order to render it unfit for heavy military transport.

The evolution to reusable, networked drones is a game-changer in asymmetric naval combat, Lukasevic says. “We equipped the platforms with rocket launchers for ranged attacks — out of range of enemy fire — and for carrying heavy weapons. This is how citizens’ donations are used in the most efficient way.”