Ukraine Arms ‘Sea Baby’ Naval Drones with Weapons

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) released a video on January 1, 2024, showcasing the Sea Baby unmanned surface vehicle (USV) launching rockets or missiles during an attack in Sevastopol Bay.

The video, recorded during an undisclosed attack, features the Sea Baby drone engaging with Russian boats that ventured out from one of Crimea's military ports in an attempt to eliminate the drones. Rather than retreating, the Sea Baby drones unexpectedly turned the tables by firing back at the aggressors.

Details surrounding the attack, such as the date and time, remain undisclosed by Ukrainian authorities. However, open-source intelligence (OSINT) reports suggest a possible connection to the December 30, 2023 incident. It is unclear whether the missiles fired by the Sea Baby drones were guided or unguided, and the specific type of missile used has not been identified.

According to information from Ukrainian media outlet pravda.com.ua, the Sea Baby drones are believed to be equipped with RPV-16 thermobaric rockets.

Sea Baby USVs were previously known to carry various rocket configurations, including two, four, and six small rocket tubes. The RPV-16 rockets are considered unguided and possess a range of approximately 1,000 meters. These rockets could potentially be substituted with other types of weaponry, military experts claim.

The Sea Baby drones gained prominence during the Kerch Bridge attack and were recently deployed in Sevastopol Bay.

Vasily Malyuk, the Head of the SBU, revealed to pravda.com.ua that the SBU independently developed the Sea Baby USV without the involvement of private companies. Malyuk emphasized the success of drone attacks as an effective means of countering maritime threats, stating, "Successful attacks by drones have proven that this is one of the effective ways of countering the enemy at sea. We began to scale up the use of surface drones. Today, the Security Service uses SeaBaby drones. These are new and more advanced generations of maritime drones. No private companies are involved in this development. It is being worked on by a team of SBU specialists, engineers, IT specialists, and military sailors."