The work has been underway in Russia to build 17 unmanned underwater vehicles capable of operating without battery recharge, United Shipbuilding Corporation President Alexei Rakhmanov said addressing the VestiFinance Forum at Digital October Center.
According to Rakhmanov, Russian engineers are studying the global experience in building gliders, autonomous underwater vehicles that can cover the distance of up to 80,000 km. Modern Russian underwater gliders move by propelling themselves forward.
“A glider moves by increasing or decreasing its buoyancy, that is, by pumping or jetissoning ballast”, the corporation president said.
Gliders can conduct search work and deep water exploration, and can carry photo and video cameras attached.
In the West, the glider development work has been underway for several decades. The efforts have resulted in building glider base-stations and retransmitter gliders, as well as unmanned underwater surveillance robotic systems.
According to Rakhmanov, promising innovative developments in Russia’s shipbuilding industry also involve 3D printers, which can print vessel parts of up to 6 meters in size. Another major area is biodesign, he said. The United Shipbuilding Corporation is developing biosimilar solutions, he noted but declined to give details saying the projects are confidential. Another promising project is building a Russian expedition Arctic vessel, which will be able to travel to northern latitudes and the North Pole, the corporation president concluded.