Russian defense manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern plans to develop an uncrewed surface vessel based on its BK-10 high-speed assault boat, company chief Alan Lushnikov has announced.
Speaking in an interview with Russian state news agency TASS, Lushnikov explained that the company is pursuing autonomous naval capabilities to adapt to modern combat conditions. He said Kalashnikov is moving in this direction because modern warfare in the naval theatre of military operations is impossible without uncrewed surface vessels.
Lushnikov, who also sits on the bureau of the Union of Mechanical Engineers of Russia, recalled that the BK-10 landing assault craft comes equipped with two machine guns as standard hardware. He added that the platform remains adaptable, noting that at the request of a customer, the vessel can be fitted with any specified weaponry.
Kalashnikov Concern, headquartered in Izhevsk, is Russia's largest weapons manufacturer, famous globally for its small arms while also producing tactical military vehicles, guided missiles, and specialized naval craft. The BK-10 is a high-speed rigid-hulled assault boat engineered for coastal defense, riverine operations, tactical troop insertion, and fire support.
Combat deployments and Black Sea operations
The announcement follows earlier reports of Russian speedboats seeing operational deployment overseas. In June, a representative from Kalashnikov told TASS after the Fleet-2026 International Maritime Defence Show that export versions of the BK-16E high-speed transport and landing craft were successfully used against terrorist formations in Africa.
Russian military speedboats have also been deployed in counter-drone defense roles. In August 2024, Semyon Danilin, general director of Rybinsk Shipyard, told state news agency RIA Novosti that Russian BK-10 boats and BK-16 craft were effectively fighting Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels in the Black Sea.
Rybinsk Shipyard, an enterprise based in the Yaroslavl region, operates as a specialized boatbuilding subsidiary within the Kalashnikov Group. Uncrewed surface vessels, often referred to as sea drones, have transformed modern maritime strategy, driving defense contractors to convert crewed patrol craft into remote and autonomous combat units.
