Ukraine uses new drones to attack Russia in the Black Sea

• Ukraine has just shown new modifications to its marine drone fleet.
• It seems that they were equipped with machine guns and had the ability to carry small flying drones.
• This is Ukraine’s latest innovation regarding these systems that have harmed Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Ukraine appears to be using modified naval drones in the Black Sea, sending its unmanned boats into battle against Russian helicopters and patrol boats, as well as against strategic gas platforms.

The naval drones used in these recent engagements were allegedly equipped with new weapons and strike capabilities, underscoring Ukraine’s innovation in this space.

On Saturday, the Navy of Ukraine shared footage from it is with the help of marine drones conduct an operation against oil platforms that Moscow maintains near the coast of the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula. Kyiv reported that the mission was aimed at surveillance systems at the facility.

Ukraine usually charges its naval drones with explosives and kills them right on target; they detonate on impact. Footage of the oil rig operation showed drones being used in that capacity, but the drone boats also served as a launch platform for smaller first-person drones (FPVs).

This strategy, depicted in the video, actually involved the transformation of naval systems unmanned motherships. At one point, FPV drones can even be seen chasing several people on an oil rig. It is not known when exactly this operation was carried out.

A few days later, on Monday, the Security Service of Ukraine joint shots its “Sea Baby” naval drones engaged in a firefight with Russian helicopters, planes and patrol boats that tried to intercept them in the Kerch Bay off the coast of Crimea.

The SBU reported that the new modified Sea Baby drones were equipped with large-caliber machine guns and automatic aiming. “The Russian pilots considered themselves hunters and counted on an easy hunt, but they themselves became the prey, as the naval drones opened fire in return,” the report says.

In Ukraine, it was reported that during the operation, which took place on Thursday night, drones hit a barge that was transporting military equipment.

Business Insider was not immediately able to verify the reported details of the footage of recent naval drone combat operations.

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Two recent engagements appear to be the first public demonstration of their new capabilities. However, this is not the first time in Ukraine has innovated its maritime drones; Earlier this year, Kyiv also equipped them with volley fire installations.

Ukraine produces several different variants of its domestically produced naval drones, including the Sea Baby platforms that the SBU used last week. These systems allowed Kyiv, which does not have a traditional navy, to make money asymmetric military campaign against Russia and its Black Sea Fleet.

This campaign was a the main direction of Ukraine’s successwhich has sunk, destroyed or damaged at least 32 medium and large Russian naval vessels since the beginning of the war. Kyiv also pushed the Black Sea Fleet away from its long-standing headquarters in Crimea and forced it move across the waterway to the port of Novorossiysk in southwestern Russia.