At the Defense Tech Valley 2025 exhibition in Lviv, Ukraine presented its largest naval drone from the Toloka company for the first time. In this article, we focus on what the developers themselves are ready to reveal about their projects. After all, the largest Toloka is only one member of a family of underwater drones that includes at least three models: TLK-200 (Toloka 200), TLK-400 (Toloka 400), and, of course, the colossal Toloka 1000.
Most likely, the numerical index corresponds to the body diameter of these underwater drones. At the exhibition, it was emphasized that Toloka develops and manufactures advanced unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) designed for mine countermeasure operations, acoustic reconnaissance, and detailed seabed mapping.
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"Our drones autonomously detect, classify, and neutralize naval mines, significantly increasing the safety and efficiency of maritime operations," company representatives stated.
TLK-200
A compact, electric, autonomous underwater vehicle designed for short-range missions.
Range: up to 100 km
Payload (warhead, explosives): up to 15 kg
Endurance: up to 15 days
Operating depth: up to 300 m
Typical missions: radio relay support, reconnaissance, strike missions, and minelaying.
Hull diameter: 200 mm; length: 2,900 mm
Propulsion: electric, with two motors. For safe communication with the surface, the Toloka 200 can be equipped with a satellite radio link using FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum).
Navigation: GNSS and AI-INS.
Guidance: optical camera or thermal imager, homing on sources of radio-frequency emissions.
TLK-400
The Toloka 400 is an underwater vehicle with a hybrid propulsion system, designed for reconnaissance, minelaying, signal relay, and strike missions at medium range.
Range: up to 1,200 km
Payload: up to 500 kg
Endurance: up to 60 days
Operating depth: up to 300 m
Hull diameter: 400 mm; length: 12,000 mm
Propulsion: hybrid (four electric motors + internal combustion engine). The drone is equipped with the same communications suite as the TLK-200.
Navigation: AI-INS with DVL and GNSS.
Guidance: thermal imager, optical camera, RF homing, passive and active acoustic systems.
TLK-1000
A large underwater vehicle designed for long-range missions. Built to deliver payloads of up to 5 tons over a distance of 2,000 km.
Typical missions: destruction of large stationary targets, strikes in combat zones, integration of specialized equipment for reconnaissance, minelaying, or mapping minefields.
Hull diameter: 1,500 mm; length: 12,000 mm
Propulsion: hybrid (four electric motors + internal combustion engine)
Endurance: up to 60 days
Operating depth: up to 300 m (composite hull), up to 30 m (metal hull)
The drone is equipped with systems for planning and executing fully autonomous missions. Developers claim it incorporates "four integrated neural networks — optical, thermal, acoustic, and inertial."
Navigation: GNSS, AI-INS with DVL (Doppler Velocity Log, which uses Doppler shift measurements to determine underwater speed and ensure accurate positioning when GNSS is unavailable or unreliable).
Guidance: thermal imager, optical camera, RF homing.
For stable communication, the drone is fitted with a satellite link using FHSS.
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