VESSEL REVIEW | Unmanned electric catamaran mothership for underwater and aerial drones
Russia's Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University (MSUN) has developed an all-electric unmanned catamaran that will serve as the surface carrier for a group of marine robots operating in the air, on the surface, and underwater.
The Project MANS02 vessel began the first stage of its sea trials at the university's marine test site in Amur Bay, off Vladivostok, on August 17.
The trials took place under the National Technology Initiative's Aquatoria testing ground experiment, with organisational support from the Marinet 5.0 infrastructure centre.
MSUN is developing the vessel under its strategic technological project "Inter-medium robotic systems". The project forms part of Russia's Priority 2030 university programme.
Part of an unmanned systems package designed for multiple roles
According to the university, MANS02 is an autonomous carrier for an underwater vehicle equipped with a payload, alongside an unmanned aerial vehicle. Together, the three craft form what it calls a marine robotic triad spanning multiple environments.
MSUN said possible missions for the triad range from research and mining to exploration, fisheries management, search and rescue, and autonomous transport. It also cited ensuring security and sovereignty at sea, management of maritime affairs, and communications and connectivity across territories.
PrimaMedia reported in December 2025 that the university's robotic triads would connect with existing maritime and port activities through a shared digital ecosystem called Roboport. The system covers mission planning and control, telemetry collection, data analysis, and reporting.
Applications cited for the wider programme include underwater hull inspection, biological resource monitoring, vessel escort, logistics, environmental monitoring, and water area security.
Stable platform suitable for coastal waters
The Project MANS02 vessel has a hull length of 7.2 metres (24 feet). The university chose a catamaran configuration for greater stability, a smoother ride, and more deck space for scientific equipment.
The vessel is fully electric, being driven by two electric outboard motors with a combined output of 4.5 kW. Energy is stored in lithium iron phosphate batteries, each rated at 100 Ah. The university selected this battery chemistry because it is thermally stable and appropriate for marine conditions.
The Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport (Rosmorrechflot) said the electric installation and energy storage system allow the vessel to carry out autonomous tasks within the reliability and safety requirements of marine operation.
An engineer-operator remained on board the catamaran throughout the maiden voyage. MSUN said this follows usual practice for trials of autonomous marine systems in their initial phase. The operator's role was to safeguard navigation, monitor telemetry in real time, and respond to any emergency.
The trials included manoeuvres and an assessment of the vessel's running qualities. The university said the results fully confirmed its preliminary digital hydrodynamic modelling.
"The catamaran demonstrated high controllability and confidently reached the design speed of six knots," the university said. "The experimental data obtained indicate that the actual characteristics of the vessel correspond to the design parameters."
Rosmorrechflot said the vessel also remained stable during manoeuvres.
According to the agency, results from the first stage will be applied to continued technical development, improvements to the control systems and preparations for subsequent trial stages.