Water data: drones and ship construction became the main topics of the Fleet-2026 salon

Repelling attacks by unmanned boats, protecting ships from swarms of drones and hunting for underwater robotic vehicles — it is around these tasks that many modern naval weapons are developing today. And our military engineers already have the answers to most modern challenges. You can find out what Russia is ready to counter new threats at the International Naval Salon Fleet-2026 in Kronstadt, where Izvestia visited.

40 ships and vessels from St. Petersburg

The opening ceremony was attended by Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Admiral Alexander Moiseev, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Albert Karimov and Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov. According to Alexander Moiseev, the platform unites developers and partners to jointly address security issues, and the technologies presented on it form the face of the modern Russian Navy.

Alexander Beglov noted that today more than 40 ships and vessels are being built at the shipyards of St. Petersburg, and the city remains one of the key centers of Russian shipbuilding. Nikolai Patrushev stressed that the salon's program focuses on current challenges, including the development of marine unmanned systems, digitalization of the industry and navigation in the Arctic.

The berths and pavilions of the International Naval Salon are traditionally crowded, but the exposition of the High-Precision Complexes holding (part of Rostec State Corporation) the excitement is special. Foreign delegations and military experts linger for a long time at the airspace control systems and anti-aircraft missile systems, which today determine the appearance of modern technological warfare.

Hunters of the BACK

The central place in the exhibition was occupied by the Pantsir-ME naval anti-aircraft missile and artillery complex, which can be installed on ships of various classes and is designed to protect against air and surface threats. In real combat conditions, the Pantsir naval missile, according to a representative of the holding, has already proven its effectiveness by successfully intercepting the sophisticated Storm Shadow cruise missile and other complex aerial targets.

— In addition to air threats, thanks to rapid-fire artillery weapons, the complex is able to eliminate floating mines and unmanned kamikaze boats. The system reloads the guns on its own, detects targets using radar stations and optical systems, tightly closing the near perimeter of the ship's defense," a representative of the High—Precision Complexes holding told Izvestia.

Another premiere was the modification "Pantsir-SMD-E", designed specifically to repel swarms of UAVs. Due to the use of small-sized missiles, the ammunition of the complex has been increased to 48 units, which makes it possible to more effectively deal with a large number of targets at the same time. The novelty is already being delivered to the troops.

The Marine Underwater Weapon — Gidropribor concern presented a small-sized UMT torpedo of 220 mm caliber. The product weighing about 100 kg can be used from helicopters, airplanes and unmanned offshore platforms.

The torpedo is equipped with a modern homing system and a non-contact fuse. Its main task is to search for and destroy enemy underwater robotic systems at a distance of up to 7 km.

Drones and marine robots

In addition to large defense enterprises, the exhibition also features developments from small engineering centers. One of the most unusual novelties was an electronic target simulation device from the MVT Engineering Development Center.

The device is installed on a conventional quadcopter and allows you to create a false picture of the air situation for enemy radar stations. After receiving the locator signal, the system generates a response, which makes a small drone on the radar screen look like a large combat aircraft with completely different characteristics.

According to the developers, such technology is capable of diverting air defense assets to false targets and forcing the enemy to expend expensive missiles. The project has already passed the initial stages of testing and modeling.

A separate place at the exhibition was occupied by marine unmanned dual-use platforms. The presented universal database of ultra-small unmanned boats allows using one platform for scientific research, cargo delivery, rescue operations and elimination of consequences of accidents on the water.

A small-sized autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle has been developed to operate at depths up to 300 meters. In addition, the salon showed new video and thermal monitoring systems with artificial intelligence elements capable of automatically detecting and tracking targets.

International focus

Belarusian specialists presented the Gudok combat module. This is a robotic construction turret that can be installed on various vehicles. Its main feature is its versatility. Depending on the combat mission, weapons can be installed on this platform for any needs.: both a conventional machine gun (7.62 mm caliber) and a powerful 30 mm automatic cannon that can penetrate thick armor.

"Gudok is able to deal with all types of threats, from infantry and armored vehicles to low—flying helicopters and drones," a company representative told Izvestia.

The module is equipped with an automatic tracking system. The operator does not need to manually catch the target in the sight — the computer itself "clings" to the enemy object, smooths out the shaking when moving and helps to conduct accurate fire.

Due to its design, the "Gudok" turned out to be truly versatile in terms of placement. It can be mounted on a wheeled armored car, a tracked tank, a stationary border guard tower, or a patrol boat.

The international status of the salon highlights the participation of foreign partners. Companies from China and India have opened their expositions in Kronstadt. In addition, more than 20 foreign delegations from friendly countries, including Egypt, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Myanmar, arrived in the city.

The salon will continue its work until June 14th.