KUBINKA /Moscow Region/, August 27. /TASS/. The developers will upgrade the Vityaz-D deep-sea underwater drone, which submerged to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in May this year. In particular, the drone will be equipped with a lot more cameras, a source in the military-industrial complex told TASS.

"The Rubin marine vehicles design bureau works on upgrading the Vityaz-D craft. The craft will be equipped with a lot more video cameras; it is possible that lighting will be enhanced as well," the source said.

The new version would be able to submerge without a bottom station, because the drone will manage communication on its own.

Development of the Vityaz-D deep-sea drone has been ordered by the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects. The drone has become the world’s first fully autonomous underwater craft that reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench on May 8. The drone’s onboard electronics implements control algorithms without human intervention. The craft is capable of avoiding obstacles and finding its way out of an enclosed space thanks to the AI elements.