The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) recently unveiled a rocket-armed unmanned surface vessel (USV).
The upgraded Sea Baby kamikaze naval drone is expected to inflict greater damage on Russian naval targets, striking them from a distance.
Likely Deployed Near Mykolaiv Port
According to the Kyiv Independent, the drone has already been deployed against Russian targets around Kinburn Spit, near Mykolaiv.
“This technological solution is already showing powerful results,” the outlet quoted an SBU source as saying.
“So new surprises await the enemy.”
The Russian-controlled Kinburn Spit lies at the mouth of the Dnieper River and controls vessels heading toward or coming from the Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv.
An unverified video purportedly shows the drone firing a salvo of rockets at an unseen target. The impact of the attack is not shown.
Latest Development
The development follows the Sea Baby being upgraded to carry a ton of explosives up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), the Kyiv Indepndent wrote, citing SBU spokesperson Artem Dekhtiarenko.
“This means that the SBU can reach a target almost anywhere in the Black Sea,” he said.
The drone was earlier reported to be armed with an unguided RPV-16 thermobaric rocket launcher.
The RPV-16 has a considerably lower range and payload compared to the BM-21 Grad’s 13 miles (21 kilometers).
Skepticism
Meanwhile, the update has come with its share of skepticism in terms of the system’s applicability, according to The War Zone.
“The Grad is already a fairly inaccurate weapon and firing it from a very small boat as it bobs around on the waves is even less precise,” the outlet wrote.
“Whatever type of targeting system is used, the chances are the results will be fairly indiscriminate. Presumably, the trajectory of the launch tubes can be altered to change the rockets’ trajectory, but there is still the issue of the lack of stabilization.”