# Russia's plywood drone boat fits ten in a van

> Russia's Scientific and Production Center Ushkuynik has built a cheap, fast-assembling uncrewed surface vessel that can carry attack drones and operate via fiber-optic cable to avoid jamming.
- Title: Russia's plywood drone boat fits ten in a van · TechRadar
- Summary: Russia's Scientific and Production Center Ushkuynik has built a cheap, fast-assembling uncrewed surface vessel that can carry attack drones and operate via…
- Keywords: skorlupa, russia, scientific and production center ushkuyn, uncrewed surface vessel, fiber-optic drones, russia-ukraine conflict, unmanned systems, technology, Russia's, plywood, drone, boat
- Source: TechRadar — https://techradar.com/pro/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
- Published: 2026-09-19T00:25:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: skorlupa, russia, scientific and production center ushkuyn, uncrewed surface vessel, fiber-optic drones, russia-ukraine conflict, unmanned systems, technology
## Ten boats in one van
Russia's Scientific and Production Center Ushkuynik says ten disassembled Skorlupa hulls fit in one GAZelle light van when broken down for transport.
## Four hours to build
Each hull is cut from water-repellent plywood and can be assembled in about four hours using an ordinary screwdriver, according to company CEO Alexey Chadayev.
## Made at any furniture factory
Chadayev told Rossiyskaya Gazeta in an interview published September eight that the craft can be produced at any furniture factory and costs roughly a fifth of a conventional naval drone.
## Range and payload
The Skorlupa can travel up to two hundred kilometres while carrying up to two hundred fifty kilograms of payloads, allowing operators to use it remotely.
## Carries four fiber-optic drones
The Skorlupa comes with up to four communication modules and can carry up to four fiber-optic aerial drones housed under a deck skin that folds open on command.
## Controlled by fiber-optic cable
The Skorlupa is controlled by a physical fiber-optic cable that lets it function even in areas where wireless communications would be jammed, making it immune to electronic warfare.
## Two ways to attack
It can be used as a one-way strike platform delivering explosives against a ship's hull, or as a mothership carrying four fiber-optic drones for reconnaissance or attack missions.
## Wreck any seaport without missiles
Alexey Chadayev said the Skorlupa can wreck any seaport without missiles and can be made at any furniture factory, offering a cost-effective naval threat in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

> With a Skorlupa like this, you can wreck any seaport without missiles
## Key takeaway

Russia's Skorlupa is a plywood drone boat that assembles in four hours, fits ten per van, and carries four fiber-optic drones while controlled by cable to resist jamming.