10 boats in one van: Russia goes DIY with a plywood vessel that can be built in 4 hours and can carry 4 fiber-optic UAVs
Russia's new drone-carrying warboat is made of plywood, ships flat-packed, and assembles in four hours with a screwdriver, letting you pack 10 in a van.
Russia's Scientific and Production Center Ushkuynik has unveiled a unique light uncrewed surface vessel called Skorlupa. Unlike traditional drones or surface vessels, the Skorlupa is built from water-repellent plywood and can be assembled in just four hours using a cordless screwdriver. Ten disassembled Skorlupa hulls can fit inside a single GAZelle van, making it an easily transportable and cost-effective solution.
The Skorlupa boasts a range of 200 km and can carry up to 250 kg of payloads, making it capable of housing up to four fiber-optic drones. These drones can either serve as a mothership for attacking or reconnaissance missions or be used as a one-way attack craft. Importantly, the Skorlupa is controlled by a physical fiber-optic cable, which allows it to operate even in areas with limited or jammed communications, rendering it immune to jamming.
The creator of the Skorlupa, Alexey Chadayev, emphasizes that the vessel can be produced at any furniture factory, making it a highly accessible and affordable option in an increasingly asymmetrical war. With a cost roughly a fifth of a conventional naval drone, the Skorlupa could potentially serve as a low-cost alternative for both Russia and Ukraine as they look for practical and cost-effective solutions to minimize casualties and save money in the ongoing conflict.
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