Russia's Skorlupa fits 10 boats in a van and carries 4 fiber-optic UAVs

Russia's Scientific and Production Center Ushkuynik has released details about Skorlupa, a light uncrewed surface vessel. According to www1.ru, CEO Alexey Chadayev says 10 disassembled boats fit in the cargo bed of one GAZelle light van, while each hull can be assembled in about 4 hours with an ordinary screwdriver.

The hull is made from water-repellent plywood. Chadayev told Rossiyskaya Gazeta that the vessel can be produced at any furniture factory and costs roughly one-fifth as much as a conventional naval drone.

The developer cites a range of 200 km and a payload of 250 kg. Skorlupa can operate as a one-way strike platform carrying an explosive, or as a mothership for 4 fiber-optic aerial drones. The drones are stored beneath a deck skin that opens on command.

Skorlupa is controlled through a physical fiber-optic cable. The source says this allows it to operate where wireless communications would otherwise be cut off and makes the vessel immune to jamming. These capabilities and cost claims are attributed to the developer and Chadayev's interview.