- Ukraine has unveiled its new sea drone to the public for the first time, CNN reported.
- The quick, deadly drone is packed with explosives and is hunting Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
Ukraine has publicly unveiled its new sea drone for the first time as it seeks to limit the Russian fleet's operations in the Black Sea, CNN reported.
The outlet got an exclusive look at the new naval drone, which is designed to attack ships in Russia's Black Sea Fleet. It packs hundreds of pounds of explosives and can hit targets 500 miles away, the report said.
The Ukrainian-designed and manufactured drone is remotely controlled and can also be used for reconnaissance and surveillance missions, among other things, the report says.
A drone pilot codenamed "Shark" told CNN that the drone was simple to operate and had been successful in stifling the Russian Navy's movements.
Video footage shared by the publication displays the strike power of Ukraine's sea drones, showing some of them breaking through Russian defenses and striking both ships and the main port of the Black Sea Fleet.
The drone's developer told CNN that Russian defenses were ineffective against the drones because its ships were designed to target other ships rather than smaller targets.
"These are faster than anything else in the Black Sea," the developer said.
"Russia's equipment is from the 20th Century, and ours is from the 21st," he added.
The drone's capabilities were also highlighted in an attack on the Kerch Bridge last week.
The roughly 12-mile-long bridge is a key supply route between Russia and Crimea, an area Russia annexed in 2014. Ukraine used two of its sea drones to strike the bridge, leaving it badly damaged.
Ukraine declined to say how many of the new drones it had produced or how many it was intending to make, CNN reported.
Drones have played a key role in the Russian war in Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and have proved invaluable for both sides.
They have provided Moscow and Kyiv with both reconnaissance and attack abilities, and they have used them to do everything from artillery spotting to striking civilian infrastructure.
The impact of combat drones has even led Russia to try and train schoolchildren to operate them, Insider previously reported.