New underwater gliders are developed in Samara

In recent years, various exhibitions of weapons, military and special equipment are increasingly showing new class designs. Several organizations from around the world show their interest in the so-called. gliders (underwater glider - "underwater glider"). This technique is designed to perform various tasks associated with a long stay under water. A characteristic feature of the gliders, which determines their appearance, is the absence of any usual type of propulsion, for example, propellers or water cannons. Instead, for the movement it is proposed to use the system to change the buoyancy of the apparatus or other original systems.

To date, several developers of promising technology have already managed to form the "classic" look of the underwater glider. It is an autonomous device with a body elongated streamlined shape and fins, resembling the wings of aircraft. Inside the case there is the equipment necessary to perform the tasks, control equipment, as well as a system for changing the buoyancy of the device. Due to changes in buoyancy, the glider can not only change the depth of the dive, but also move forward. According to the principle of movement, the glider is similar to gliders, which is why it got its name.

Until recently, underwater gliders were created only by foreign organizations. Not so long ago, Russian engineers became interested in a promising direction. According to the news agency "Weapon Russia ", the subject of gliders is currently engaged in Samara State Technical University (Samara State Technical University). To date, two projects of gliders have been created, differing from each other in the architecture and ideas used.

Samara experts have developed underwater-wave and underwater gliders. Both projects are based on different ideas, which allow to get similar results in various ways. At the same time, despite the differences, both gliders have similar characteristics. They are able to work autonomously for a long time, because their onboard mechanisms have extremely low power consumption. There are developments to create a glider with autonomy up to six months. In addition, the devices when moving under water do not create noise and do not give themselves to them.

The underwater wave glider consists of two parts: one of them must be on the surface of the water, the other - “dive” to a predetermined depth. Both units are connected by cable. The above-water part of the device looks like a surfboard and is equipped with a set of various equipment, including batteries and data exchange tools. The underwater part of the apparatus has two cigar-shaped hulls connected to each other by a vertical plate, and is equipped with a so-called. fin mover: a set of planes that rotate freely around a horizontal axis. The fin mover uses wave energy and moves the underwater part of the glider forward. With the help of the cable, it pulls the surface.

It is assumed that the underwater-wave glider will be delivered to a given area by any suitable vehicle and discharged into the water. Next, the device must open the fins, independently determine their location, adjust the buoyancy and proceed to the task.

“Russia's Arms” cites the words of Professor of Information and Measuring Equipment Department at SamSTU, Evgenia Tatarenko, according to which the underwater-wave glider has unlimited navigation range and is able to work in shallow water. It took about half a year to develop this device, only four people worked on the project. At the same time, the resulting underwater glider is not inferior in its capabilities to its foreign counterparts.

Underwater glider glider has a different architecture and a different principle of operation. It is an autonomous apparatus with a cigar-shaped body of large elongation and wings-fins. The movement of such a glider is provided with the help of fins and a hydropneumatic accumulator. The latter is a hollow cylinder divided by a flexible membrane. In one part of the cylinder is air, in the other - a special oil, the density is comparable with water. The pump on the machine must pump oil into the hydropneumatic accumulator, as a result of which the volume occupied by air changes. When pumping oil into the cylinder, the volume of air decreases and the buoyancy of the machine drops. To increase buoyancy, pump oil out of the cylinder.

Losing buoyancy, the glider begins to descend, and the wings-fins make it move forward and literally plan in the water. Due to the correct control of the course and the buoyancy of the apparatus, it is possible to sail for a long time along a given route with the fulfillment of the assigned task. The existing development glider SamGTU has a length of about 2 m and fins with a span of 1,3 m. With a total weight of 50 kg, the device can carry up to 5 kg of payload. The used method of movement allows the device to reach speeds up to 0,5 m / s (1,8 km / h) and dive to depths up to 1000 m. Autonomy is ensured up to 60 days.

With appropriate modifications, the underwater vehicles created in Samara can be used to perform various tasks. They can conduct reconnaissance or analyze the situation, search for enemy submarines and sea mines, be used to monitor the state of underwater communications, patrol waters and even carry weapons. For example, for solving combat missions, small-sized torpedoes of caliber 120 mm are currently being developed. The size of such ammunition will arm them with underwater gliders, and the characteristics of the “gliders” themselves will ensure high efficiency of the use of weapons.

Due to their flexibility, underwater gliders are of great interest both for military and for a number of civilian structures. They can be used in the interests of defense, as well as for performing various studies, etc. works According to some reports, the Russian Navy ordered the development of such promising technology and wants to see new designs for the 2017 year. These gliders must travel at speeds up to 0,5 m / s, dive to 300 meters and operate without maintenance for three months. The project involved several design offices and other organizations. The details of this program are still unknown.

Torpedo glider IACS developed by SamSTU / Photo: yandex.ru

Wave glider development SSTU / Photo: IA "ARMS OF RUSSIA", G. Budlyansky

Torpedo glider (option) / Photo: IA "ARMS OF RUSSIA", G. Budlyansky

On the materials of the sites:
http://arms-expo.ru/
http://i-mash.ru/
http://izvestia.ru/

Comments

[MolGro]

hmm class thing! if they master it, we will have dormant torpedo mines)

[Civil]

unmanned gliders, wow for different tasks

[naik09]

beautiful things

[Ayujak]

Surely these devices are very quiet. Terrible promising weapon. How will these devices be controlled with long-term autonomy? Will artificial intelligence be introduced?

[silver169]

Very interesting developments that I hope will find a place in the Russian Armed Forces.

[Michael_59]

Please tell me how our submarines will be protected from these drones?

[Rostislav]

But how will the Americans defend themselves?
The eternal battle of shell and armor. The "shell" has appeared, now they will begin to invent "armor".

[fedor13]

Well, on the go, as an escort of the boat, i.e., an antiglader and a long-range view of the perimeter.

[Akuzenka]

What for? It has been invented for a long time, these are dolphins, they perfectly find such things. After all, gliders are mainly used in coastal areas, and dolphins are expanse there.

[Sanamana]

yeah ... especially in the Arctic Ocean.

[kav669]

Flying drones under water. will definitely be in demand.

[Vladimir73]

The main thing is that such a promising weapon does not remain at the prototype level for our army. In order then not to selflessly catch up with the army of a potential enemy successfully using such weapons.

[OlegLex]

a really promising direction, an apparatus that can only be detected by a sonar, and then only with a sample of signatures that will allow you to identify the object, of the minuses is the inability to move without computer support, respectively, vulnerability to magnetic pulse radiation. Therefore, it is unlikely to become a direct-acting weapon, but for reconnaissance it is an ideal option.

[Denimax]

If the body with wings is made of transparent plastic, then go and the air will not be noticeable.

[Wladimir71]

The forefront of science is fundamental research of space and the microworld. And advanced military technology should also be from there.

[abc_alex]

In my opinion, this is ideal for an autonomous sonar anti-submarine device discharged from the air or ship.

[chunga-changa]

An interesting direction, but has limitations. For example, the speed of 0,5 m / s is lower than the speed of any current in the oceans, and in fact it turns out that the devices with a small fraction of freedom drift along the currents or stand almost in place when they are absent. Plus, as a rule, coastal places (the most interesting for the military) have a complex pattern of currents with even higher speeds and there these devices will not be any different from ordinary drifting buoys. The military does not like such things. They need the device to reach the calculated point at the estimated time, regardless of the situation, and take the necessary actions, so they are unlikely to be interested in these things. But scientists will be happy, no questions asked. The military is more suitable for an autonomous apparatus recharged in one way or another with an effective propulsion system.

[Berrick]

Cool little thing.
It is similar to the first attempts of a man to ascend into the sky.
I think that in conditions of the maximum replacement of manpower by robots, this direction should be developed !!

[Victor-cort]

Another cartoon about "having no analogoff", we read carefully:

With appropriate modifications, the underwater vehicles created in Samara can be used to perform various tasks.

And more precisely - these are dummies that are not capable of anything at the moment. Unfortunately, we started in the armory the race for woodwafers .... moreover, they often exist only on the rampart.
our phones can’t do what kind of drones.

[Mooh]

And will anyone comment on the enchanting story about the change in buoyancy by pumping oil? Either I read poorly, or it's some kind of nonsense.

[ramsi]

compressed air and air purging submarine’s main ballast tanks has the same weight but different volume; the weight of water is added or subtracted. Here, the weight of the device does not change - only the volume. In theory, it should work, albeit more slowly

[Fast]

Americans vparivat such gizmos in thousands of their army for many years, the result is known, the money is bye-bye, the defense industry was started in the wrong way. For 20 years now, one of our comrades has been carrying around exhibitions a model of an underwater muscular Yo-apparatus with an incomprehensible propeller, "with awesome efficiency", the principle of which is not revealed (it probably does not exist), but the apparatus never floated. Money sometimes requires washing, so sponsors are found, further advertising, connections, and devastation of the budget.

[Drunya]

Underwater glider - a smart design for the study and preservation of water depths

[Observer2014]

To be honest, this is the first time I've read about underwater gliders in this article. An interesting thing, especially for the military. just think what three hundred "smart" long-playing, secretly moving underwater hunters can do, for example, in the waters of the Black Sea? Or four-five thousand in the Atlantic for example? Yes, they can completely change the algorithm of war at sea!

[SuperEnot]

As a robotics specialist working for NPO Gidropribor, I can say that this is a cool model. BUT, purely for laundering grants like the 160 million mechanical Exoathlete. The future belongs to PRIVATE firms like IROBOT that make a product and then offer it to the army / navy. And so this is a stupid PiaR for fools. Unfortunately.

[sub307]

An interesting direction, for sure, will be able to find application as a PDSS and complement the set of technical means for detecting PLPL.

[izGOI]

And I completely agree with "chunga-changa ". For such a mobile medium as water, these devices with their low speed are at the level of buoys that have broken anchor.