On December 9, The Drive's military news site The War Zone reported that Ukraine announced the deployment of Sea Baby unmanned boats to confront the Russian military.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU/SBU) said that the Sea Baby was equipped with large-caliber machine guns and engaged various types of Russian military equipment in an attack near the Crimean Bridge on the night of December 5-6. However, the outcome of the attack is still unclear.
Video footage released by the SSU/SBU shows a series of Russian military assets, including Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopters, Raptor patrol boats and a fighter jet, being attacked by fierce rounds of fire from the Sea Baby.
However, the footage is not clear enough to determine exactly what type of fighter jet was attacked. Based on the identifying features, experts believe that this could be a Su-30SM model, a type of aircraft that regularly operates in the Black Sea region, including missions against Ukrainian maritime forces.
According to the SSU/SBU video caption, the helicopters were severely damaged and required extensive repairs, and there were casualties among the Russian servicemen. The drones also attacked a barge carrying military equipment and tools to repair the Crimean Bridge, which Russia is still trying to restore after previous attacks.
The SSU/SBU said that Sea Baby is equipped with an optical and infrared camera system, and a control interface similar to other remote-controlled weapon systems. Based on the kamikaze boats, Sea Baby has expanded functionality, but it is not yet clear whether its machine guns are used in the same way.
Over the past year, the SSU/SBU has deployed various versions of the Sea Baby, including models equipped with rocket launchers or R-73 missiles - an air-to-air missile that has been adapted for anti-ship use.
The actual effectiveness of the armed Sea Babies remains a matter of debate. With each one costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce, the decision to allocate such resources must be carefully considered, especially in a context where Western military aid is at risk of being cut off.
