The Variola remote-controlled underwater drone created at the State Maritime University of St. Petersburg will be able to protect the ships of the Russian Navy (Navy) that are parked in foreign ports, RIA Novosti reports, referring to the representative of the developer Alexey Blinkov.
According to him, the product will replace the diver. The developed device is distinguished by simplicity of execution and compact dimensions, as well as a small weight (six kilograms). The drone is controlled via a 300-meter cable. Blinkov noted that the location of the Variola engines allows the device to spin "in place, like a tank".
Also at the "Army-2021" forum, the State Maritime University of St. Petersburg presented a hydrometeorological drone that moves due to waves and consumes almost no energy. The autonomy of the product, intended, in particular, for measuring temperature, pressure, salinity of water and wind direction, is estimated at six months.
"The surface robot is a wave glider with an unconventional movement scheme, it works on wave energy. The wing system plans in the water column and pulls the entire structure connected to it by a cable cable. The wave is moving up and down, a forward thrust is formed on the wing system, " Blinkov said.
In August, during the international military-technical forum "Army-2021", the concern "Marine Underwater Weapons-Hydropribor" presented an underwater drone designed to explore the seabed. The autonomous carrier of hydrophysical equipment of variable buoyancy (ANGAPP) is designed for " lighting the situation, reconnaissance and electronic warfare in the underwater environment as a carrier of various equipment in accordance with the task performed."
Ivan Potapov
