Exporting the "Sea Baby": Ukraine and Portugal Sign Historic Deal to Build NATO's New Robotic Fleet

The "battle for the Black Sea" has officially exported its most lethal innovation to the Atlantic. On December 20, 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro signed a landmark agreement to co-produce Ukrainian-designed Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) on Portuguese soil.

This partnership marks a definitive turning point:

• NATO Integration: By producing drones like the Magura V7 and Sea Baby in Portugal, Ukraine is moving from a recipient of aid to a primary technology provider for the Alliance. Prime Minister Montenegro emphasized that these systems will help Portugal "defend Europe from the sea."

• US Navy Endorsement: Following two high-level technical visits to Ukraine in mid-December, US Navy and Pentagon officials completed their first formal evaluations of these platforms. The US is particularly interested in the low-cost/high-impact ratio of these drones, which have successfully targeted Russian frigates and even submarines.

• The New Maritime Frontier: Analysts suggest that the US Navy may adapt Ukrainian drone swarming tactics for potential use in the Indo-Pacific or the Red Sea, viewing the Ukrainian "asymmetric" model as the future of maritime security against larger, conventional fleets.