Monday, September 16, 2024

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

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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.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s United24 foundation runs fundraisers to help pay for the unmanned naval systems.

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