Putin’s underwater robot: Russia building drone that can mimic any enemy submarine
- 7 years ago
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA — Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon have an ocean-going robotized system at his disposal that can mimic the characteristics of different submarines, making it useful for naval exercises as well as reconnaissance missions.
The Surrogat, an autonomous, unmanned submarine powered by lithium-ion batteries that can operate for 15 to 16 hours at a time, is being developed by military designers from Russia’s Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering, Russian news agency TASS reports.
The drone measures more than 50 feet long and weighs almost 40 tons, with a maximum diving depth of almost 2,000 feet.
It can employ towed sonar arrays to simulate another submarine’s acoustic and electromagnetic fields and imitate both conventional and nuclear submarines.
The Surrogat can also be used for underwater terrain mapping and reconnaissance.
Military designers claim the drone is simple to operate, with low maintenance and upgrade costs. They are currently in talks with the Russian Navy, and believe there may be interest from foreign customers.
The Surrogat, an autonomous, unmanned submarine powered by lithium-ion batteries that can operate for 15 to 16 hours at a time, is being developed by military designers from Russia’s Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering, Russian news agency TASS reports.
The drone measures more than 50 feet long and weighs almost 40 tons, with a maximum diving depth of almost 2,000 feet.
It can employ towed sonar arrays to simulate another submarine’s acoustic and electromagnetic fields and imitate both conventional and nuclear submarines.
The Surrogat can also be used for underwater terrain mapping and reconnaissance.
Military designers claim the drone is simple to operate, with low maintenance and upgrade costs. They are currently in talks with the Russian Navy, and believe there may be interest from foreign customers.