MOSCOW, April 6 /TASS/. The Skorlupa (Shell) project, Russia’s first mass-produced unmanned boat with a fiber-optic control channel, was originally intended to be a serial product, Yevgeny Mandelstam, advisor to the CEO of the Ushkuynik Research and Production Center, told TASS.

"With the Skorlupa, we opted for an accelerated development cycle from the very beginning. The project was conceived as a production model from the very beginning, without the drawn-out stage of individual prototypes. Even the first 20 boats were assembled using the production model. "At the same time, we were arranging production processes that allow us to seamlessly move from small batches to large-scale production," Mandelstam said.

The expert noted the lack of transparency in the organization of the Skorlupa production. "Understanding how our production is structured is practically impossible from the outside, even with the greatest desire, as the entire chain remains fragmented and opaque. Network-centricity for us is not just a catchy phrase, but the fundamental idea behind organizing the production process. Several redundant production facilities in different regions produce various components without the slightest idea of the final product," Mandelstam explained.

In February, Ushkuynik reported successful tests of the Skorlupa as a carrier for an FPV fiber-optic drone in the Black Sea.

The Skorlupa is Russia’s first mass-produced unmanned boat with a fiber-optic control channel. This unmanned boat is a versatile, dual-purpose platform. It can be used as a standalone unit for reconnaissance, patrol, or other offshore operations. It also serves as a mobile base for launching and controlling other devices, such as fiber-optic drones, extending their range in the water, Ushkuynik reported earlier. The autonomous boat is also used as a launch platform for the Knyaz Vandal of Novgorod (KVN) fiber-optic FPV drones.