Development
SBU brigadier general Lukashevych Ivan Volodymyrovych proposed the idea of the agency operating unmanned attack boats, and early USV models were designed in July 2022 in collaboration with specialists from the Ukrainian Navy and assorted private companies. Later, the SBU decided to develop drones independently, culminating in the Sea Baby design for operational use by the SBU, while what eventually became the MAGURA V5 became operated by the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR). [4] While the GUR's smaller and more manoeuvrable MAGURA V5 is used designed primarily for striking warships operating at sea, the SBU designed the Sea Baby for a heavier payload, primarily to strike such static targets as ships docked in port. [5]
Models of the Sea Baby from late 2023 featured several redundant communications systems and carried explosive warheads up to 850 kg, compared to the 108 kg payloads from the earlier models. [4] The multiple redundant communications systems were intended to avoid repeating the incident wherein Starlink-dependent USVs of the SBU were left stranded during a mission to strike the Russian frigate Admiral Makarov docked at Sevastopol, after connectivity to Starlink in Crimea was declined by Elon Musk. [4] By the end of 2023, Sea Baby had transformed from a kamikaze attack vehicle to a multi-purpose platform capable of carrying different loadouts for various tasks, with examples including guided missile launchers and laser guidance systems, and in January 2024, the SBU revealed a variant of the Sea Baby equipped with six thermobaric launchers based on the RPV-16 design. [6] [7] [8]
Both the MAGURA V5 and Sea Baby were then inducted into the 385th USV Brigade after its formation as the world's first USV unit in August 2023 although their operatives were still GUR and SBU. [9]