The United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK) has presented a concept for the development of small-class autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles (AUVs), OSK's press service told "Pervy Tekhnichesky". Vehicles weighing from 50 to 300 kg are considered as the basis for robotic systems for marine research and monitoring of underwater infrastructure.
The corporation has already created underwater robots of various classes. The lineup includes vehicles from small ("Amulet", "Yunona", "RIF") and medium ("Klavisin") to heavy ("Vityaz") classes, as well as remotely operated vehicles of all sizes. The accumulated experience formed the basis for developing new systems, taking into account requirements for autonomy and payload composition.
AUVs can be used for oceanographic research, seabed mapping, environmental assessment, and disaster relief. Promising areas include underwater archaeology, geological exploration, and inspection of vessels and underwater infrastructure. Group application of several vehicles at different depths allows for the creation of distributed observation systems, which is especially relevant for marine seismic exploration.
OSK is also developing energy systems: classic lithium-ion batteries and VNEU-type systems to increase autonomy. A separate direction is resident underwater robotics: vehicles can stay in the work area for a long time, recharging wirelessly and transmitting data via various communication channels.
OSK Underwater Robotics: From "Amulet" to "Argus"
We have already reported on OSK's developments in underwater robotics: at the end of 2024, TSKB MT "Rubin" presented an underwater cybernetic system based on the "Octavius" station and "Argus" family robots, capable of operating at depths of up to 6000 meters. These vehicles are focused on the development of underwater fields, seismic exploration, and pipeline inspection — tasks that are now also included in the concept of new small-class AUVs.
In parallel, in 2024, "Rubin" began preparing for serial production: together with the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, documentation was developed for the "Amulet-S" and "Talisman-S" vehicles — the very small and remotely operated vehicles mentioned in OSK's current lineup. According to the register's estimates, hundreds of underwater robots of various types will appear in Russia within ten years.
The practical demand for such systems is also confirmed by the experience of other players: in September 2025, Gazprom successfully tested a domestic AUV at the Kirinskoye field in the Sea of Okhotsk, where the vehicle inspected pipelines and wellhead equipment — precisely the tasks for which OSK is designing new systems.