The russian Ministry of Defense has commissioned the development of an experimental batch of 10 unmanned boats to the Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant (KMZ). This order is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
The unmanned boat developed by KMZ is universal and can be used to perform various tasks. It has a cruising range of 600 km at low speeds; as the speed increases, the cruising range decreases, but it is possible to accelerate the boat to 80 km/h. When loaded with 600 kg of explosives, the boat can travel 200 km.
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"This will be the first pilot batch" Mikhail Danilenko, managing director of KMZ, stated in an interview with one of the propagandist media outlets.
Danilenko added that the company calls this device "one-off boats" that can also act as kamikaze drones.
He pointed out that the drones’ payload may not necessarily be an explosive one, so instead of being used only as guided torpedoes, these unmanned boats can potentially be employed to move cargo or for intelligence gathering.
If the use of such maritime drones proves successful, the russian Ministry of Defense may order the production of this weaponry for naval warfare.
It is worth noting that the mentioned enterprise KMZ is a manufacturer of both equipment for the nuclear industry and small boats for the law enforcement structures of the russian federation.
In the same interview, for example, it is mentioned that in 2024, the Kingisepp Machine-Building Plant is supposed to deliver another batch of Avalanche boats for the russian National Guard.
Moreover, in September 2023, KMZ presented the GRK-700 Vizir remotely controlled boat at the "Army-2023" forum.
“The boat has the ability to be modified for various tasks: attack naval drone, liquidator of such drones, delivery of troops and cargo,”Mikhail Danilenko said.
The payload of the boat is about 500 kilograms with high maneuverability and seaworthiness. The hull of the vessel is made of fiberglass. The basic version is capable of reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that in an attempt to preserve large landing ships in russia, they started installing Tor air defense missile system on them. But the main question is not even how to securely fasten the air defense missile system on the deck of a large landing ship with chains, but why they are doing it in russia in the first place.
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