Depiction of the Argus Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) concept | Source: Rubin Design Bureau
Russia’s Rubin Design Bureau has introduced a new Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) at the recently held Army 2023 exhibition at Patriots Park on the outskirts of Moscow.
The Argus AUV is a multi-mission concept for offshore field exploration designed for underwater surveys, monitoring, sentry, search and salvage operations. According to Deputy CEO for Foreign Economic Activities at the Rubin Design Bureau, Andrei Baranov, “In fact, Argus’ capabilities are much wider: vehicles of this type can be used for searching shipwrecks, sunken aircraft, equipment lost at sea and even for marine archaeology.”
For example, the Argus AUV could be deployed to ‘explore subsea natural resources, collect data on the bottom structure’ and the environmental conditions of the waters’, according to a statement by the Rubin Design Bureau.
Depiction of the Argus Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) concept | Source: Rubin Design Bureau
Further applications include surveys of underwater locations for the ‘laying of pipelines’, monitoring the ‘health of the seabed equipment’ to detect possible oil or gas leaks, ‘locate insulation damage’ and identify the ‘free span of the subsea pipeline or a pipe shift from original position.’
The Argus can also play the role of a sentry that can detect alien object near pipelines or other underwater infrastructure and report its presence to a mother ship, and according to Rubin, can deploy on salvage operations to search for lost objects including those under silt or the seabed.
The bureau says the submarine drone can operate in swarms of up to five AUVs, to reduce time and costs of missions like mapping a large seabed area.
Each Argus AUV itself weighs 3.2 tons with a length of 5.6m and a hull with a diameter that’s 1m wide. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, sections of the AUV can detach for multi-tasking for different missions. The Argus uses coded communicate to stay in touch with its mother ship on the surface and other AUVs and uses VHF, satellite communication or WiFi while surfaced.
The vehicle can dive up to 6,000m, with an endurance of 24 hours and a cruising speed of 3 knots that could be increased to 8 knots. Its customised Launch and Recovery System (LARS) allows it to operate in Sea State 4 conditions with waves up to 2.5m high.
Depiction of the Argus Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) concept | Source: Rubin Design Bureau
According to Rubin, ‘The vehicle can deploy different sensors, including seismic detectors, and sampling devices to the specified area,’ and adds that customised payloads can also be configured according to operator requirements.
Baranov says the key for the multi-functionality of the AUV lies in its open architecture, modular design and scalability. “While developing conceptual design of AUV Argus, designers have tended to make a vehicle with an option for transformation and scaling in order to receive additional features. Particularly, due to the installation of additional sections in the vehicle’s body, and, consequently, vehicle elongation, it is possible to provide longer duration of work execution or new functionality,” he describes.
How would it work? “All payload sensors are accommodated in two side and one bottom sections, and processing facilities are grouped as a single module placed in a special hermetically sealed box. Replacement of sections with sensors and processing module allows to change functional capabilities of AUV within several hours and to set it for performing new missions,” answers Baranov.
Depiction of the Argus Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) concept | Source: Rubin Design Bureau
There are also plans for an underwater docking station to facilitate communication between the AUV and a control centre, which could be located on an offshore platform or ashore. The docking station will also be able to charge the vehicles batteries, allowing the Argus to be resident, submerged and on station indefinitely for at least six months and more.
“The Rubin Design Bureau has proposed combining the AUV and a multifunctional docking station. We have developed a conceptual design of such a docking station intended for operation with Argus type vehicles. Depending on tasks, which are solved by the AUVs, and subsequently, on power consumption of AUVs, one docking station is able to serve a group of five vehicles: two vehicles can be located on the docking station charging their batteries, and, at the same time, three other vehicles can be busy with their operations. AUVs rotation near the docking station will allow the presence of at least three active vehicles at any time,” explains Baranov.
Depiction of the Argus Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) concept | Source: Rubin Design Bureau
According to him, “Expansion of vehicle capabilities can be definitely reached due to their use together with a docking station, which will ensure charging of storage batteries of vehicles and data exchange with them. While using such docking stations, surface escorts are not required; this will enable to drastically reduce expenses on AUVs exploitation.”
The Rubin Design Bureau is a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) and over 1,060 submarines have been built to its design specifications over the last 122 years. While 950 submarines were built for the Russian Navy, alone, a total of 116 Rubin-designed submarines have been exported to 16 countries.
Baranov says the Rubin Design Bureau is keen to offer their developments and technologies to India, noting ‘India’s several courageous steps towards developing of underwater robotics over the last few years.’
Depiction of the Argus Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) concept | Source: Rubin Design Bureau
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