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Ukraine’s State Security Service has unveiled an advanced maritime drone which it says can now operate anywhere in the Black Sea, carry heavy weapons and use artificial intelligence for targeting.
Ukraine has used unmanned naval drones to target Russian shipping and infrastructure in the Black Sea. The Security Service of Ukraine, known by its Ukrainian acronym SBU, has credited the attacks by the unmanned ship, known as “Sea Baby”, for a strategic shift in Russia’s naval operations.
The SBU said the Sea Baby’s range had been increased from 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) to 1,500 kilometers (930 mi). SBU officials said it could carry up to 2,000 kilograms (about 4,400 pounds) of payload.
In a demonstration conducted by the Associated Press, variants included ships equipped with a multiple-rocket launcher and a stabilized machine-gun turret.
SBU Brig. Gen. Ivan Lukashevich said the new ships also include AI-assisted friend-or-foe targeting systems and can launch small air-strike drones and multi-stage self-destruct systems to prevent capture.
Developing a new type of naval warfare
The SBU said drone strikes had been used in successful attacks against 11 Russian ships, including frigates and missile carriers, forcing the Russian Navy to relocate its main base from Sevastopol. Crimea To Novorossiysk on the Black Sea coast of Russia.
“The SBU has become the first in the world to lead this new type of naval warfare – and we are leading it forward,” Lukashevich said, adding that Sea Baby has evolved from a single-use strike craft into a reusable, multi-role platform that expands Ukraine’s offensive options.
Officials asked that the time and location of the demonstration not be made public due to security reasons.
The craft are operated remotely from a mobile control center inside a van, where operators use a bank of screens and controls.
“The cohesion of the crew members is probably the most important thing. We are constantly working on it,” said one operator, identified only by his call sign, “Scout,” in accordance with Ukrainian military protocol.
Ukrainian maritime drones help push back Russia’s navy
The SBU also said maritime drones helped carry out other high-profile attacks, including repeated attacks on the Crimean bridge, most recently targeting its underwater supports to render it unusable for heavy military transport.
The Sea Baby program is partially funded by public donations through a state-run initiative and coordinated with Ukraine’s military and political leadership.
Lukashevich said the evolution from expendable strike boats to reusable, networked drones marks a significant advance in asymmetric naval warfare.
He said, “On this new product, we have installed rocket weapons that will allow us to operate from large distances outside the attack range of enemy fire. We can use such platforms to carry heavy weapons.” “Here we can show Ukrainians the most effective use of the money they donate to us.”
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Associated Press journalists Alex Babenko, Yehor Konovalov and Volodymyr Yurchuk contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine