Ukraine’s security service on Wednesday unveiled an upgraded unmanned naval craft, the “Sea Baby,” saying the revamped vessel can operate across the Black Sea, carry much heavier arms and use artificial intelligence to improve targeting.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the Sea Baby’s range has been increased from about 1,000 km to 1,500 km and its payload capacity now reaches roughly 2,000 kg. At a demonstration seen by The Associated Press, SBU showed variants equipped with a multiple-rocket launcher and a stabilized machine-gun turret.

SBU Brig. Gen. Ivan Lukashevych said the new models include AI-assisted friend-or-foe targeting, the ability to launch small aerial attack drones and multilayered self-destruct systems to prevent capture. The vessels are remotely piloted from a mobile control centre inside a van, officials said.

The SBU credited Sea Baby strikes with damaging Russian shipping and infrastructure and said drone attacks have hit 11 Russian vessels, including frigates and missile carriers. Those operations, the SBU claims, helped push the Russian navy to move its main base from Sevastopol, Crimea, to Novorossiysk on Russia’s Black Sea coast.

Officials also said the Sea Baby program has evolved from a single-use strike craft into a reusable, networked platform that broadens Ukraine’s offensive options. Lukashevych described the effort as pioneering a new form of naval warfare and highlighted that part of the program’s funding comes from public donations coordinated with Ukraine’s military and political leadership.

The SBU noted the drones have been used in high-profile strikes — including repeated attacks aimed at the Crimean Bridge’s underwater supports — and stressed operational security by asking that demonstration details not be disclosed. An operator identified only by the call sign “Scout” said team cohesion remains vital to mission success.