In Russia, a system for the automatic takeoff and landing of unmanned aerial vehicles on board small autonomous vessels is being developed. The project is being implemented by the Russian University of Transport (RUT), subordinate to the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, jointly with the V. A. Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences as part of the Priority 2030 program.
The new system is intended for integration into domestic unmanned boats and is designed to solve one of the key technological problems of maritime robotics — the lack of reliable aerial reconnaissance means on autonomous vessels. The development provides automated takeoff and landing of UAVs directly from a ship's deck under conditions of rolling, wind loads, and movement along course.
Control algorithms and onboard equipment allow the drone to interact correctly with the platform without operator involvement, which significantly increases the autonomy of maritime systems. This opens up opportunities for long continuous missions, including water area monitoring, technical inspection of hydraulic engineering and port facilities, as well as participation in search and rescue operations.
According to industry sources, the developers have already produced a prototype of the system installed on a small autonomous vessel. The tests carried out confirmed the operability of the solution and the stability of UAV landing in real operating conditions.