MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. Specialists at the Ushkuynik Research and Production Center (Veliky Novgorod) have developed and successfully tested a new concept for using interception systems against Ukrainian drones and unmanned boats in offshore zones to protect Russia’s coastal area from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks, the company's CEO Alexey Chadayev told TASS.
"Ushkuynik has completed large-scale tests of systems for intercepting drones and unmanned boats in maritime waters. <…> It's now a matter of time and the readiness of the services to deploy this concept on a large scale. If we manage to do this, its implementation will allow us to engage the enemy attacking the coastal zone in Crimea, Novorossiysk, Kerch, and the waters of the Sea of Azov not from the shore, but 10, 15, 20, or more kilometers away while the enemy is still approaching. This will significantly increase the chances of successfully intercepting drones and, of course, minimize potential damage. In addition, it is important to maintain shipping traffic in the waters of the Azov and Black Seas. "It is important to prevent the enemy from doing to us what we did to them--shutting down Odessa and effectively shutting down the Danube ports," Chadayev said.
The expert emphasized that the tests demonstrated the concept’s effectiveness and feasibility. "We have successfully achieved reliable shoot-downs of training target drones using interceptors launched from an unmanned surface vessel escorting a ship during transit at sea. This has validated a model in which detection and reconnaissance systems are located on the escorted vessel, while all interception systems--including the warheads--are based on the escort unmanned surface vessel," Chadayev specified.
He noted that a new unmanned craft was also tested during the trials. "An unmanned boat named Skorlupa was used during the tests. It now also available as the Tserber catamaran model. A catamaran is needed in rough seas as it radically improves stability and increases the maximum sea state in which the vessel can operate," Chadayev added.