The Russian Arctic shelf may soon become a testing ground for unique underwater infrastructure—OSK has unveiled the Iceberg autonomous robotic complex project, designed for year-round development of deep-water fields. It will consist of several units that can be tailored to meet any customer's requirements. Iceberg will be capable of conducting geological exploration, drilling wells at depths of up to 4.5 km, transporting cargo and installing structures, as well as protecting the field. Moreover, underwater robots will be able to operate more intensively than humans—they're not hindered by Arctic weather and ice conditions, they're not as vulnerable (unlike geologists and sailors), they can withstand much heavier loads and don't need rest. The Rubin Central Design Bureau is developing the project.

The autonomy of the OSK innovation will be complemented by another marvel of Russian engineering genius—the Octavis underwater charging station. It will function as an underwater 'power bank' and data storage facility. The scout robots are expected to shuttle between it and the research site, transmitting accumulated information and recharging simultaneously. Octavis itself, anchored to the seabed, will transmit data to shore, analyse the technical condition of the bots and their software, and collect environmental data. Engineers also want to make it generate its own energy for its needs and to refuel subordinate devices, but haven't yet decided exactly how to achieve this. There's an idea to use ocean energy to generate electricity, while more sceptical experts are considering installing a power plant on shore or on an offshore platform, from which a cable would be run to Octavis.

Incidentally, seven years ago, Rubin had already proposed building Iceberg, but with nuclear power. The underwater station was to be powered by a 24 MW nuclear reactor with a service life of about 30 years, and such a complex would need servicing approximately every eight thousand hours (slightly more often than once a year). The charging station was designed to be quite compact—in addition to the reactor, it would house a turbine generator set, electrical equipment, batteries, control and data transmission systems. As evident from current news, plans for an autonomous nuclear-powered production facility have had to be put on hold for now.

However, this hasn't discouraged the engineers at Rubin Central Design Bureau. In addition to an underwater drilling, exploration and robot charging facility, they have designed unmanned cargo delivery submarines. Igor Vilnit, general director of the Rubin Central Design Bureau, explained that for the Argus-D, the operator specifies the final destination at the base, and the device performs most manoeuvres autonomously. If the submarine encounters insurmountable difficulties, the operator can remotely take control of the vessel's movements. Interestingly, its predecessor, Vityaz-D, conducted the first autonomous scientific mission in the Mariana Trench. Argus-D should reach speeds of up to 6 knots at depths of 1 to 3 km. It will be able to transport cargo and protect fields, with a reduced environmental impact—the Argus-D engines are powered by a lithium-ion battery.

However, ideas to equip civilian submarines with nuclear reactors are still being considered. Perhaps the Kurchatov Institute will take up the banner of nuclear technologies in shipbuilding. Its director announced a project for a nuclear-powered submarine gas carrier that will be able to reach speeds of up to 17 knots. This means that the submarine will be able to traverse the North Sea Route in just 12 days, at any time of year. The vessel will be 360 metres long, with a total propeller power of 90 MW and a cargo compartment capacity of 170–180 thousand cubic metres. The submarine will be powered by three RITM-200 reactors, which are already actively used on icebreakers of the 22220 generation. The Malakhit Design Bureau is now handling the project, claiming that the underwater gas carrier can be easily integrated into the existing North Sea Route infrastructure. There's no word yet on who will control the ship (a live crew, an algorithm or an operator from a control centre).

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