A Sea Baby takes aim at a Russian helicopter.
Security Service of Ukraine capture
Ukraine’s unmanned surface vessels—18-foot Sea Babies and Magura V5s—have wreaked havoc on the battered Russian Black Sea Fleet this year. In separate raids on Crimean anchorages in February, May and June, the explosives-laden USVs sank a corvette, a landing ship, a patrol boat and a tugboat.
After those sinkings, the Black Sea Fleet was down to no more than two-thirds of its pre-war strength.
Determined to protect what’s left of the fleet, the Russian navy has stiffened the defenses around naval bases in Crimea and southern Russia. The approaches to these bases are now patrolled by armed Mil Mi-8 helicopters and Raptor patrol boats, among other assets.
To give the satellite-guided Sea Babies and Magura V5s, respectively operated by the Ukrainian internal security service and the main intelligence directorate, a fighting chance against the gun- and missile-armed Mi-8s and Raptors, the Ukrainians have begun upgrading their USVs.
Some can launch rockets or small aerial drones for standoff attacks. Others sail into action with remote-controlled machine guns and surface-to-air missiles for self-defense.
A pod of the gun-armed Sea Babies motored into the Kerch Bay between Crimea and Russia on Thursday night and engaged in a spirited close fight with the bay’s Russian defenders. Videos from the battle depict Sea Babies opening fire on Russian helicopters and patrol boats.
“Intercepted Russian radio transmissions indicate that there are killed and wounded on board the helicopters,” the Ukrainian security service reported. “The helicopters themselves have received significant damage and now require major repairs.”
It’s not clear whether any of the Sea Babies survived the fight, but according to the security service, other Ukrainian drone boats got through the Russians’ defenses and damaged a barge supporting repairs to the oft-targeted Crimean Bridge spanning the Kerch Strait.
It’s apparent from the videos of the battle that the Sea Babies’ gunfire isn’t terribly accurate while the USVs are bouncing on choppy water. The drones are already equipped with ballistic fire controls and automatic targeting algorithms, but these systems may need improving.
What’s important is that the Sea Babies can now put up a meaningful fight as they churn toward their targets. Until recently, the Sea Babies and Magura V5s were all but defenseless. They depended on the cover of darkness and their low profile to evade detection, and evasive maneuvers to avoid destruction when they were detected.
That Ukraine’s drone boats can now fight their way to their targets is an ominous development for what’s left of the Black Sea Fleet.