United24 is raising funds for 35 naval drones

22 February, 2024 Ukrainian Sea Baby naval drone. Photo credits: SSU. The United24 Foundation and a number of Ukrainian donors have launched a fundraiser for 35 Sea Baby drones for the SSU.

The news was published on the United24 website. The United24 fundraising platform, monobank, and a number of other volunteers have started a fundraising campaign for naval drones to be used by a special unit of the Security Service of Ukraine. Within the project, the volunteers intend to raise UAH 297.5 million for 35 Sea Baby boats.

In addition, in case of full payment for one drone worth UAH 8.5 million, the donor will be able to assign their own name to it.

Sea Baby

Sea Baby naval drones are a development of the Security Service of Ukraine.

They can accelerate up to 90 km/h and cover a distance of up to 1000 kilometers. The body of the drone is made of a material hardly visible to radar. The drones have already been used as "kamikaze drones" to strike enemy vessels.

For this purpose, they are equipped with an 850-kilogram warhead that explodes upon contact with a target. It is also reported that at least some of the drones were equipped with a launcher with six RPV-16 flamethrowers.

A naval drone with transport-launch containers in the stern. Photo credits: 1+1

In October 2022, SSU naval drones attacked Russian Black Sea Fleet ships in Sevastopol Bay, damaging the Admiral Makarov frigate.

In 2023, SSU drones hit the Samum and Pavel Derzhavin missile carriers, the SIG tanker, the Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship, and damaged the Nikolay Moore tugboat and the newest reconnaissance and hydrographic ship, the Vladimir Kozitsky. In addition, on July 17, 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine struck the Kerch Bridge with drones of this type.

In the first months of 2024, the Ukrainian Defense Forces used naval drones to sink the landing ship Caesar Kunikov and the Project 12411 guided missile corvette Ivanovets.