KUBINKA (Moscow region) 28 Aug-RIA Novosti. Russia has developed an underwater drone "Variola"for the safety of Navy ships parked in foreign ports or bases, Alexey Blinkov, a representative of the developer (State Mortehuniversitet of St. Petersburg), told RIA Novosti.
This development was first presented at the Army-2021 forum in the cluster of the Russian Navy.
Navy ships located in bases or ports of foreign countries are guarded by marines on the shore, and an anti – sabotage group of divers is under water.
He clarified that the device is simple and small in size, weighs only 6 kilograms. The operator sends control signals to the Variola via a 300-meter cable, since with a longer length it would interfere with the movement of such a compact drone. The arrangement of the engines on the new device is such that it allows it to spin "on the spot, like a tank".