Amid rising military tensions between Ukraine and Russia around the Black Sea, Ukraine has shown off its homegrown maritime drone to Western media for the first time.

The US-based CNN was the first to report that the maritime drone was being tested on a “secret lake” without disclosing its exact location.

The maritime drone was described by CNN as being shaped like a canoe, grayish-brown in color and 5 meters long.

Designed and manufactured by Ukraine, the drone is remotely controlled and can also be used for reconnaissance and surveillance missions.

In particular, the maritime drone has been tasked with catching Russia’s Black Sea fleet as its top priority.

It can carry 300 kilograms of explosives, reach a top speed of 80 km/h, and have an attack range of 800 kilometers.

The underwater drone went into action as the pilot, who was referred to as “Shark” in the broadcast, pulled out a black briefcase from the dock.

The control panel was custom-made with joysticks, monitors, and buttons, making it look like a gamepad, CNN reported.

“We don’t have a lot of diverse forces to counter Russia,” the developer said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that maritime drones are crucial in this regard.

Ukraine has already used maritime drones in combat at least twice before.

In October of last year, it attacked the port of Sevastopol in Crimea.

On March 17, 먹튀검증 the presence of maritime drones was highlighted again when an explosion destroyed the Crimea Bridge, which connects Crimea to mainland Russia.