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The design and performance characteristics of the Amur 950 non-submersible submarine are known to experts at previous forums and naval exhibitions. Let’s remember the main things: displacement is about a thousand tons, full submerged speed is 20 knots, the crew is only 19 people. Autonomy is 30 days, which allows the use of such a submarine up to 1,000 miles from the coast. Low noise and modern hydroacoustics make the submarine ideal for reconnaissance and secret surveillance. If vertical missile silos are placed on it, it can, if necessary, launch a powerful preemptive strike on enemy ships and coastal infrastructure.
Igor Vilnit, head of the Rubin Central Design Bureau, spoke about the prospects for the development of the Navy, new projects in the field of underwater robotics and answered questions from RG.
What was the reason for this “revision” of this famous project and why did you decide to present it now?
Igor Vernit: Since Rubin’s main specialty is submarines, we will present a model of the non-nuclear submarine Amur 950 with vertical launchers. With such a launch system, a small-displacement ship becomes a floating salvo battery. Until recently, only four countries in the world, including Russia, had experience in building submarines with TPUs. Now the number of countries developing vessels equipped with such weapons has increased, which shows that there is an undoubted demand for such solutions. Therefore, we hope that people will be interested in our project.
Photo: “Rubin” Central Clinical Hospital
Taking into account the relatively small displacement of the submarine, as well as the technical solutions developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau during the construction of third- and fourth-generation non-nuclear submarines, the Amur 950 is very suitable as a base platform for the design of the production of national submarines in accordance with the requirements of the customer’s navy.
Rubin’s other new products were also unveiled at the USC Joint Expo. In particular, the autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle “Argus-D”. A device in the same family was launched a year ago. What makes them similar, and what makes them fundamentally different?
Igor Vernit: The Argus device launched by Rubin last year (now it has received the index “I” of “Inspector”) and the new Argus-D device (“Delivery”) are being developed on the same platform, belong to the same platform family and, most importantly, belong to the same category – heavy AUVs. We analyzed the capabilities of each type of device and came to the conclusion that in the near future the demand for heavy AUVs will increase sharply. By developing such devices, Rubin strives to occupy a place in the domestic market and with potential foreign customers.
Photo: “Rubin” Central Clinical Hospital
The devices of the Argus range are unified by their size: the body has a diameter of one meter. They have the same basic technical solutions in terms of energy, propulsion and steering systems, as well as electronic components. This unification between items allows to reduce the cost of building and using the devices.
The devices “Argus-I” and “Argus-D” are fundamentally different in their functionality. The Argus-I device is primarily intended for collecting information about the seafloor or bottom objects, while the function of the Argus-D is primarily transportation – its focus is on delivering various equipment (primarily electronic equipment) to a given area. As an example of such a payload, we consider the autonomous seafloor seismic station developed by the Institute of Oceanography PP Shirshov of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
What functions can it perform and in what mode – autonomously, under operator control?
Igor Vernit: The line between remotely controlled and autonomous underwater vehicles is blurring. For example, underwater AUVs can be remotely controlled via hydroacoustic channels, while traditional remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) can already perform many functions independently. For example, the operator sets a point that the device must reach, and all actions aimed at solving the problem are performed by the ROV without human intervention.
As we now imagine, remote control of the Argus-D device will be carried out both when leaving the base and when returning to it. In addition, if the device encounters any difficulties in performing its mission, it will be able to notify the operator, who will then take control of the device.
Photo: “Rubin” Central Clinical Hospital
What differentiates the Argus-D from similar or similarly capable AUVs built in the West, particularly in Canada, the United States, and Sweden?
Igor Vernit: In fact, in recent years, many countries of the world have stepped up efforts to create heavy AUVs for various purposes. We closely follow the projects of foreign competitors. We can say that the functionality of our “Argus-D” is similar in many ways to the purpose of the American device “Orca” or the Canadian device “SOLUS-XR”, but the displacement and dimensions of the “Argus-D” are smaller than those of the listed analogues. I think that the experience of creating the Argus-D device will allow us to be more bold in creating super-heavy AUVs that can carry large payloads.
Who can be a customer of Argus-D equipment and a consumer of these services?
Igor Vernit: We consider the Argus-D equipment presented by Rubin at the Army-2024 exhibition to be a basic version. The project can be adapted to the requirements of any customer, including our foreign partners, with whom we have a long history of successful cooperation projects.
The Argus-D device could provide marine scientific research and solve applied problems – for example, in the interests of the offshore mining industry. Much depends on the payload it has to deliver to the area of interest. For example, the creation of an underwater station capable of monitoring radiation contamination in seawater could form the basis for the design of a version of this device by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Photo: “Rubin” Central Clinical Hospital
Another new product of yours is the uninhabited underwater station Octavius. So far, at first glance, it seems like something futuristic. At what stage is this concept project at?
Igor Vernit: Octavis is based on technological solutions that are more than two decades old; they have been studied and tested by Russian enterprises. It is clear that there is a need for an underwater “charger” that can also act as an information relay: this will significantly increase the time an AUV can stay in a given area. We incorporated these ideas into Octavis, which is at the conceptual project stage but is still under dynamic development.
I agree that the Octavius NPS looks unusual, but the shape of the space station was determined by the need to protect it from the marine environment. It is well known that algae settle on the surface of underwater objects, followed by mollusks, crustaceans, fish, etc. The Octavis shape minimizes fouling.
This kind of underwater autonomous vehicle requires extensive cooperation during its manufacturing and commissioning phase. Who are your main partners here?
Igor Vernit: During the ten years that Rubin created underwater robots, we successfully established cooperation between the companies involved in the development of the equipment. I don’t want to name anyone in this team: there is no small matter in the underwater business, and the smallest company is as important to us as a household name industrial giant.
Photo: “Rubin” Central Clinical Hospital
Does Rubin TsDB plan to sign an agreement with the Institute of Oceanography of the Russian Academy of Sciences and participate in joint development with you as well? Or will it just be a customer?
Igor Vernit: The Institute of Oceanography of the Russian Academy of Sciences is an institute with extensive experience in practical marine research and is the origin of Russian underwater robotics. Of course, we do not see it as a potential customer, but as a partner in the creation of promising AUVs.
Photo: “Rubin” Central Clinical Hospital
What other new products, proposals, projects of the Rubin Central Design Bureau will surprise and delight the participants of the Army 2024 Forum?
Igor Vernit: In the robotics sector, we will also present the updated work-class ROV “KIT-3000”. Its management is as automated as possible. If necessary, “KIT” will carry out installation work, stretch cables and connect them; it will switch oil and gas transportation systems. It can also assist in scientific research, for example, collecting polymetallic nodules and biological samples.
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