10 boats in one van: Russia goes DIY with a plywood vessel that can be built in 4 hours and can carry 4 fiber-optic UAVs
Russia's new drone-carrying warboat is made of plywood
by https://www.techradar.com/author/rahim-amir · TechRadarNews By Rahim Amir Published 19 September 2026
Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter
- Russia's Scientific and Production Center Ushkuynik says ten disassembled Skorlupa hulls fit in one GAZelle van
- Each hull can be assembled in an estimated four hours (by Russian estimates) using a cordless screwdriver and can travel up to 200 km while carrying up to 250 kg of payloads
- The Skorlupa comes with up to four communication modules and can carry up to four fiber-optic drones, allowing it to serve as both a mothership for attack or recon drones and a one-way attack craft
Russia's Scientific and Production Center Ushkuynik has released new details on Skorlupa, a light uncrewed surface vessel whose headline feature isn't speed, stealth, or sensors.
According to www1.ru, company CEO Alexey Chadayev says ten of the boats fit into the cargo bed of a single GAZelle light van when broken down, and that one hull goes together in about four hours with an ordinary screwdriver.
The hull is cut from water-repellent plywood, and Chadayev told the Russian government daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta, in an interview published on September 8 (RU) around the International Technological Congress 2026, that the craft can be produced at any furniture factory and costs roughly a fifth of a conventional naval drone.
Latest Videos FromTechRadarWatch full video here:
A low-cost alternative in an increasingly asymmetrical war?
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict enters its fifth year, both sides have innovated, focusing on drones and autonomous vehicles to save lives, operate remotely, and minimize costs.
The Skorlupa does just that: the developer cites a 200 km range and a 250 kg payload, letting operators use it remotely while cutting costs as Russia and Ukraine struggle to fund their war efforts.
It can also be used in two ways: as a one-way strike platform, delivering an explosive against a ship's hull; or as a mothership, carrying four fiber-optic aerial drones housed under a deck skin that folds open on command.
As the war drags on, it's increasingly becoming one that demands practical and cost-effective solutions that do not endanger lives, with Ukraine also often pulling off similar approaches, including retrofitting remote-controlled kits to Humvees and Operation Spiderweb, which ingeniously launched attacks from within Russia's borders on its airfields, dealing damage that amounted to billions of dollars.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors