Pictured: Ukraine turns sea drones into unmanned rocket launchers to attack coastal targets

Joe Barnes
·2-min read
Sea Baby drone has a Grad rocket launcher mounted to its hull
Sea Baby drone has a Grad rocket launcher mounted to its hull - SECURITY SERVICE OF UKRAINE

Ukraine has transformed part of its fleet of naval drones into unmanned rocket launchers to attack coastal targets.

Images that emerged online appeared to show the SBU security service’s Sea Baby drone equipped with a Grad rocket launcher mounted to its hull.

An SBU source told the Ukrainian news wire Interfax: “Our Sea Baby is not just a drone, but a multifunctional platform that is constantly being improved.

“And today we can confirm that they are equipped with a multiple rocket launcher system, and this technological solution is already showing powerful results.”

The latest iteration of the Sea Baby has a range of more than 600 miles and a top speed of 55mph
The latest iteration of the Sea Baby has a range of more than 600 miles and a top speed of 55mph - SECURITY SERVICE OF UKRAINE

The agency confirmed the new systems had entered into service in a combat mission off the coast of the Kinburn Spit, a small strip of Russian-held land where the Dnipro River meets the Black Sea.

The sandy outcrop is considered strategically important because it gives whoever controls it control over the entrance to the Dnipro – the river that bisects Ukraine – as well as the ports of Kherson and Mykolaiv.

Drone footage shared on social media by Russian sources appeared to show the moment the Sea Baby drones started letting off at least six tube-launched rockets simultaneously.

It was the first time the new weapons had been seen in combat after official images were released of them being tested on land.

Brig Gen Ivan Lukashevych, of Ukraine’s SBU security service, had previously told The Telegraph that the agency was working to modify its bomb-laden attack drones into multi-purpose weapons.

The latest iteration of the Sea Baby is fitted with a 400-horsepower engine, has a range of more than 600 miles and a top speed of 55mph, with a reinforced hull so it can transverse waves almost two metres (6.6ft) tall.

The kamikaze version carries a 400kg warhead, while it is now confirmed a reusable model has been developed for launching missiles.

A Starlink terminal and another satellite communications beacon beam the feed from its powerful infrared camera back to the SBU bunker in Ukraine.

The drones are best known for their explosive attack on the Kerch Bridge, which connects occupied Crimea to mainland Russia.

It has also been responsible for strikes on the Admiral Makarov frigate, the Olenegorskiy Gornyak, a Ropucha-class landing ship, and a Sig oil tanker in the Black Sea.

The United24 foundation, an initiative of Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, runs fundraisers to help pay for the unmanned naval systems.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Satellite images capture Russia's Black Sea Fleet running from its base in Crimea as Ukraine hit it with missiles and exploding drones

    Ukraine has waged a highly effective asymmetric-warfare campaign against the Black Sea Fleet, destroying and damaging a number of Russian warships.

  • Putin’s Hybrid War Opens a Second Front on NATO’s Eastern Border

    (Bloomberg) -- Shortly after midnight, several masked men in boats began removing orange navigational aids on the Narva River that separates Estonia from Russia — a watercourse which demarcates the extent of NATO’s reach.Most Read from BloombergCar Dealerships Across US Halt Services After CyberattackCDK Tells Car Dealers Their Systems Likely Offline Several DaysPutin’s Hybrid War Opens a Second Front on NATO’s Eastern BorderHedge Fund Talent Schools Are Looking for the Perfect TraderStocks Show

  • Ukraine got the go-ahead to hit Russia with F-16s, but doing so could be a waste of a good jet

    Denmark said Ukraine can use its F-16s to hit military targets in Russia — something experts said would likely make the few jets too vulnerable.

  • Desperation is making Putin even more dangerous

    There is nothing “peaceful” about the defence pact that Vladimir Putin signed yesterday with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un. On the contrary, the comprehensive strategic partnership agreed between the two leaders during the Russian president’s visit to Pyongyang demonstrates the deepening bond between two rogue states whose main aim is to forge a new “axis of evil” to confront the West.

  • Russia obliterates front-line Ukraine towns by retrofitting bombs and expanding its air base network

    The first shock wave shattered aisles stacked almost to the ceiling with home improvement products. The next Russian bomb streaked down like a comet seconds later, unleashing flames that left the megastore an ashen shell. A third bomb failed to detonate when it landed behind the Epicenter shopping complex in Kharkiv.

  • How did North Korean soldiers wander across the world's most heavily guarded border?

    Don’t believe the name: The Demilitarized Zone between the two rival Koreas might be the most heavily armed place on earth. The short answer appears to be shrubbery: Because of an overgrowth of foliage, the North Koreans may not have seen the signs marking the thin military demarcation line that divides the DMZ into northern and southern sides.

  • Putin’s trade-offs turn Ukraine into a test bed for North Korea’s Rocket Man

    When Russian forces first launched a North Korean missile at Ukraine, it landed in a field outside the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.

  • Tragic suicide leaves Israel at breaking point

    The first time Eliran Mizrahi was injured in Gaza, he refused to leave the battlefield. The reservist wanted to continue defending his country and the search for the missing hostages.

  • Hezbollah leader threatens Cyprus as tensions with Israel ramp up

    Threat comes just a day after Israel warned the powerful Lebanese militant group that the prospect of “all-out war” was “getting very close.”

  • Israel army spokesman says Hamas can't be eliminated

    Israel's top army spokesman said Wednesday that Hamas cannot be eliminated, prompting a knee-jerk reaction from the government which quickly reiterated it remains committed to the Palestinian militant group's destruction.Of these, 116 remain in Gaza, although the army says 41 are dead.

  • Watch: Philippines Shows Chinese Aggression at Sea

    The latest confrontation in the South China Sea has allegedly resulted in a Filipino navy serviceman losing a thumb and risks escalating the conflict.

  • Rafah Crossing 'Destroyed', Says Israeli Military Media

    Footage published on June 19 by Israeli military media shows damaged and destroyed buildings at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza.The footage was captured by Galatz Radio reporter Doron Kadosh and shows the damage to buildings at the crossing. Galatz Radio is operated by the Israel Defense Forces.Kadosh said the crossing was “destroyed, and unfit for reuse as a passage.”“The Rafah Crossing was … in no shape to be used again to deliver much-needed aid to the Strip. Many of the buildings are damaged, including the crossing’s main terminal building which was also burnt in recent days,” the Times of Israel said.Al Jazeera reported, citing Hamas, that the building was burned on June 17 by Israeli forces.Recent footage showed soldiers preparing food inside the crossing’s mosque.Israeli forces captured the Palestinian side of the Gaza-Egypt border on May 7.The IDF reported continued operations in Rafah on June 19. It said soldiers had destroyed “terrorist infrastructures that pose a threat to our forces.” Credit: Doron Kadosh/Galatz Radio via Storyful

  • South Korea says it could supply arms to Ukraine after Russia signs ‘absurd’ deal with North Korea

    South Korean president says agreement signed by Putin and Kim Jong-un is a deal between ‘two parties with a history of launching wars of invasion’

  • Argentina is arming for a new Falklands War. America can probably prevent it

    Recent moves by Argentina to renew and expand its military capabilities, including aspirations to acquire amphibious assault ships and a deal to buy retired F-16 fighter jets from Denmark, have raised eyebrows. The Falklands War of 1982 remains a defining event in the histories of the United Kingdom and Argentina.

  • Ukraine moved to top of list to receive US air defense capabilities

    The Biden administration is prioritizing critical air defense capabilities for Ukraine over other countries to “ensure Ukraine’s survival” as Russia continues its brutal assault on the country with no end in sight, a senior White House official and congressional sources told CNN.

  • IDF Says it Hit Hezbollah Structure in Southern Lebanon Strike

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday, June 19, that its air force struck a Hezbollah military structure in southern Lebanon.Video released by the IDF shows the moment of the strike in the coastal area of Borgholiyeh, just north of the city of Tyre. The IDF said it also struck a “a terrorist infrastructure” in Khiam, in southern Lebanon.Hezbolla said on Wednesday that it launched an air attack in response to “repeated Israeli enemy attacks that targeted the town of Borgholiyeh.” Lebanese news site an-Nahar reported several raids in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, including in Borgholiyeh, after a reported attack on Tuesday. Credit: IDF via Storyful

  • RAF Brize Norton welfare officer recognised in King's Birthday Honours

    An RAF welfare officer base at RAF Brize Norton has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours List

  • Chinese sailors wield sticks, axe in disputed sea clash with Philippines

    Chinese coast guard sailors brandishing weapons including sticks, knives and an axe clashed with Philippine naval vessels near a strategic reef in the South China Sea, dramatic new footage released by Manila showed.The clash took place Monday as Philippine forces attempted to resupply marines stationed on a derelict warship deliberately grounded atop the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, Manila said.Fresh footage of the confrontation released late Wednesday by the Philippine military showed small boats crewed by Chinese sailors shouting, waving knives and using sticks to hit an inflatable boat as a siren blares.The Philippines military said the axe-wielding sailor had "threatened to injure" a Filipino soldier, while others were "explicitly threatening to harm" Filipino troops.A Filipino sailor lost a thumb in the incident, which saw the Chinese coast guard confiscate or destroy Philippine equipment including guns, according to the Philippine military. Manila's footage of the clash stands in stark contrast to photos released by Beijing's state media on Wednesday, which did not show Chinese forces wielding weapons.Beijing has insisted that its coast guard behaved in a "professional and restrained" way during the confrontation and claimed "no direct measures" were taken against Filipino personnel.But in a clip shared by Manila, a Chinese sailor standing on the deck of one of the boats can be clearly seen waving an axe.Another clip shows a Chinese coast guard sailor violently striking the inflatable boat with a stick. A second man can also be seen stabbing the boat with a knife."The (Chinese coast guard) personnel then began hurling rocks and other objects at our personnel," Manila said."They also slashed the (inflatable boats), rendering them inoperable."The Filipino sailors, clad in brown camouflage with helmets and vests, are not carrying weapons in the clips."Amidst this violent confrontation, the CCG (Chinese coast guard) also deployed tear gas, intensifying the chaos and confusion, while continuously blaring sirens to further disrupt communication," the caption said.Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner said Wednesday the outnumbered Filipino crew had been unarmed and had fought with their "bare hands".In one clip, a voice speaking Tagalog can be heard saying someone had "lost a finger".Manila has accused Beijing of an "act of piracy" against its forces.It has demanded the return of items "looted" by the Chinese side, including seven guns, and reparations for the damaged equipment.burs-cgm/oho/tym

  • US to redirect Patriot air defence orders to Ukraine

    The US government plans to divert Patriot air defence systems destined for other countries to Ukraine to help Kyiv protect its cities and critical infrastructure, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

  • S. Korea to 'reconsider' ban on weapons sales to Ukraine

    Major weapons exporter South Korea will "reconsider" a longstanding policy that bars it from supplying arms directly to Ukraine, a presidential official said Thursday, after North Korea and Russia signed a defence deal.Seoul has a longstanding policy that bars it from selling weapons into active conflict zones, which it has stuck to despite calls from Washington and Kyiv to reconsider.