Ukrainian official reveals key naval drone can strike anywhere in the Black Sea

Ukraine has been able to hold its own against Russia in the Black Sea thanks to its powerful unmanned sea surface vehicles but one of the country's key naval drones is a lot more powerful than you may have thought.

The Sea Baby unmanned sea surface vehicle is the naval drone that helped to take out the Crimean Bridge earlier in the war but has since been fitted to carry more than an extra ton of explosives and can now travel 1,000 kilometers or roughly 620 miles according to a spokesperson of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

"If we’re talking specifically of upgrading Sea Baby drones, which hit the Crimea bridge last year, as of today they have completely different characteristics, having become much more powerful, said Artem Dekhtiarenko during a televised telethon according to Ukriane's state-run news organization Ukrinform.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Security Service of Ukraine By Ssu.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0

"For example, a year ago our drone could carry about 800 kg of explosives to a distance of about 800 km, and today it is over 1,000 kg and over 1,000 km. So today the SBU can attack enemy ships virtually anywhere across the Black Sea," Dekhtiarenko added. This is bad news for the Russian Navy.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Ssu.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0

Sea surface drones have played an important role in beating Moscow on the Black Sea, and one of the best weapons in the Ukrainian arsenal is the Sea Baby, which had gotten a powerful upgrade earlier in 2024.

The Sea Baby drone was a force to be reckoned with and Ukraine introduced an updated version of the powerful unmanned surface vessel in March 2024. The new version of the sea drone has a lot to offer. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot from Wiki Commons, Video By Security Service of Ukraine, CC 4.0

On March 6th, the Ukrainian Security Service unveiled its upgraded version of the Sea Baby sea surface drone and claimed the new weapon was a lot more powerful than the previous version. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

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Codenamed ‘Avdiivka’ Ukraine’s Security Service noted that the new version of the Sea Baby differed in appearance from the first iteration and claimed the upgraded sea surface drone was far more deadly than its predecessor. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

The Sea Baby 2024 is more maneuverable than the previous version of the drone but at the same time, it is capable of delivering its explosive charge to targets 1,000 kilometers or roughly 621 miles away from its launch point, as previously stated.

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

“The new Sea Baby 2024 has improved characteristics, greater combat capabilities, and enhanced maneuverability,” stated a Brigadier General of the Ukrainian Security Service who was only identified by his callsign ‘Hunter’.

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

“It can deliver nearly a ton of explosives over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) and serves as a universal platform for various weapons,” Hunter went on to explain according to a translation from Ukraine news outlet Euromaidan.

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

Maneuverability is important when hunting ships because it allows Ukraine's sea drones to avoid a ship's defenses as it attempts to get within striking range of a vessel's haul. A drone must hit a ship in order to damage or sink it. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

Defense Express pointed out the Sea Baby’s description as a universal platform almost certainly means that the new sea surface drone will have additional weaponry mounted to it, meaning it may have more than just a single use. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

Nearly all of Ukraine’s naval drones are single-use kamikaze weapons that get in close to a ship before slamming into its side in an attempt to sink the vessel, so the strategic possibility of arming the Sea Baby is quite interesting. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

A similar weapons armament program is also happening with Ukraine's Magura V5 sea drone according to Defense News, which shows that Kyiv’s military strategists are trying to find new ways for Ukraine to get the upper hand. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By СпецТехноЕкспорт

“These advanced drones have proven to be a game-changer in the ongoing war, allowing Ukraine to successfully target Russian naval assets, substantially weakening Moscow’s presence in the Black Sea,” wrote Eurmaidan’s Euheniia Martyniuk.

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

The new Sea Baby 2024 was a product of crowdfunding that raised $8.1 million dollars to build the first 35 models of the drone, which still needs to undergo its sea trials before it is put into service against the Russian Navy. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

"The future lies in technological approaches in war. Today, the SBU is trying to be the first in this direction, and it really succeeds,” said the Head of the Ukrainian Security Service Vasyl Malyuk according to a translation from Ukraine Front. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

“In the ranks of the service, we have raised unique specialists in maritime drones in order to further improve and scale up the work on cleaning the Black Sea from the enemy," Malyuk continued. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @SBUkr

In a statement from Ukraine's Security Service, it was noted that the country’s drones have blown up the all-too-important Crimean Bridge and also hit a total of 11 Russian naval vessels since the start of the invasion. 

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“Ukraine claims to have sunk or disabled around a third of Russia's fleet, or 27 vessels, despite having virtually no navy of its own,” wrote Business Insiders Tom Porter, which is an impressive feat after more than two years of war. 

In May 2024, Newsweek along with several other media agencies began reporting that some Sea Babys were being deployed equipped with Soviet-era Grad multiple rocket launch tubes, a fact the SBU confirmed.