File image.
The Knyaz Vandal of Novgorod (KVN) first-person view (FPV) suicide quadcopter, which is controlled via a fiber-optic cable, has been successfully launched from the new Skorlupa drone boat during tests in the Black Sea, the Ushkuynik Research and Production Center announced on February 5.
“The Skorlupa is Russia’s first mass-produced unmanned boat with a fiber-optic control channel. This unmanned boat is a versatile, dual-purpose platform. It can be used as a standalone unit for reconnaissance, patrol, or other offshore operations. It also serves as a mobile base for launching and controlling other devices, such as fiber-optic drones, extending their range in the water,” the center said in a statement posted to Telegram.
The center noted that Skorlupa is capable of performing multiple tasks simultaneously, offering new tactical options for operations in coastal zones, rivers, and offshore waters.
“From the very beginning, we designed not just a ‘drone on a string,’ but a fiber-optic control system technology that can be adapted to any environment. As with Knyaz Vandal, the goal in developing the uncrewed boat was to create a full-lifecycle product: with its own operator training system, technical support, and established feedback,” Ushkuynik CEO Alexey Chadayev said.
According to him, people are being trained on how to use the new tech, and a training program is being developed for tactical scenarios common in the special military operation zone in Ukraine.
“Furthermore, production of the Skorlupa itself has already been established, and hundreds of the boats are being produced per month,” Chadayev added.
Footage shared by the center shows Skorlupa successfully launching a KVN, which went on to successfully intercept another drone boat.
The KVN has a range of up to 15 kilometers. A longer-range version of FPV suicide quadcopter capable of hitting targets as far as 20 kilometers away was tested last year by Ushkuynik. Up to 50,000 such drones are reportedly being produced each month.
The use of drone boats as carriers for quadcopters and other types of unmanned aerial vehicles began around a year ago, and quickly became Ukraine’s go-to method to attack targets on the shores of the Black Sea, especially in the Crimean Peninsula.
Now, Russia is capitalizing on the very same concept to counter this threat, at a much lower cost than using manned naval and aerial systems.
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