Ukraine's Sea Baby Naval Drones Revolutionize Warfare, Damage Russian Ships in Black Sea

Jun 24, 2024, 08:38 AM

Ukraine is revolutionizing naval warfare in the Black Sea with the deployment of advanced naval drones. The country has modified its Sea Baby unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to lay 180-kilogram sea mines, which have already damaged at least four Russian ships, including the Pavel Derzhavin Patrol and the Samum corvette. These drones have been equipped by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and have successfully conducted remote mining operations, including the world's first such operation in 2023. The SBU's Sea Baby drones planted over 15 underwater mines near Crimea, targeting enemy warships. One drone hauled a mine 250 miles before returning to port. Ukraine plans to create squadrons of up to 20 naval drones, each with separate functions, to replicate the capabilities of a full-fledged warship. This innovative approach, led by Vasyl Malyuk's team, is significantly hampering Russian naval operations in the region.