Ukrainian maritime drones are now even more dangerous: SSU general on their modernization

The Ukrainian novelty from the Security Service of Ukraine - naval drones - will become even more dangerous for the enemy this year. They are currently undergoing major upgrades to make them "stronger, more efficient and deadlier" than they were before.

In 2024, the SSU set "completely different requirements for the parameters of drones," General Ivan Lukashevych said in an interview. He is called the father of the latest naval weapons, and it is under his leadership that new naval drones are being built and tested in Ukraine.

According to the general, first, the modernization eliminated the shortcomings of the drones that attacked ships in Sevastopol Bay in October 2022. Secondly, the boats had an increase in the size of the warhead. From now on, Ukrainian naval drones are capable of carrying more than 800 kg of explosives.

Two more updates to "improve seaworthiness" were made. Thus, after the modernization, the drones are now able to navigate in waves 1.5 meters high. And the range of marine drones is now over a thousand kilometers!

There are separate developments regarding the speed of the equipment and its size. There are also plans to "make maritime drones reusable to make them cheaper and more efficient," Lukashevych said.

In the interview, the general did not specify which drones he was talking about. However, it is safe to say that Sea Baby, the SSU's surface unmanned attack boats, are subject to modernization. This particular drone was developed by the security forces in 2022.

The SSU also uses Mamai maritime attack drones for special operations in the Black Sea, but this is a modification of the Sea Baby. The Mamai is currently the fastest object in the Black Sea and can accelerate up to 110 kilometers per hour, according to the SSU.

There is also a development of a Ukrainian state-owned company, the Magura maritime drone. However, this is a DIU technique, and the SSU denies its use, emphasizing that their Sea Babies are superior to the Magura in all respects

According to the SSU, their maritime drones have hit at least 11 ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. This began in October 2022 when Ukraine attacked Russian ships in the Sevastopol Bay, damaging, in particular, the Admiral Makarov frigate.

In July 2023, Sea Baby was used to attack the Kerch Bridge. In 2023, such drones hit the Samum and Pavel Derzhavin missile carriers, the SIG tanker, and the Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship. The tugboat Nikolay Moore and the newest reconnaissance hydrographic ship Vladimir Kozitsky were also damaged.

The sinking of the large amphibious assault ship Caesar Kunikov is a painful loss for the Russian flotilla. Today, it is already a rather rare specimen in the Black Sea. In total, during the full-scale war, the Defense Forces put about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet out of commission.

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