MINSK, 10 December (BelTA) – The first test of the prototype hovercraft Yamal 730 was carried out in Saint Petersburg. The vessel has been designed and built by the Saint Petersburg-based design bureau Neptun and the Minsk-based company OKB TSP, BelTA has learned. The test was timed to the media tour arranged for Belarusian and Russian reporters to Saint Petersburg.
Neptun First Deputy Director General Sergei Kotlovich said that unlike conventional crafts hovercrafts can travel over water, swamps, shallow water, sand, snow, and ice by pumping air under the bottom of the craft, which is encircled by the so-called flexible skirt.
According to the specialist, such crafts weigh very little thanks to the use of composite materials. The Belarusian company OKB TSP boasts the latest technologies to make products out of composite materials, it was the decisive factor for choosing the partner, Sergei Kotlovich said.
The partnership began in late 2012. During the International Maritime Defense Show 2013 the sides signed a relevant agreement, which has resulted in the unique hovercraft Yamal 730. The new product has met strong interest among the power-wielding agencies of Belarus and Russia. Preliminary orders have been submitted by the Emergencies Ministry and the Defense Ministry of Russia, the Navy, the engineering troops of the Russian army, and other special services. “We will hold negotiations to sell our hovercraft to the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry, too,” said the First Deputy Director General of the Russian company.
Sergei Kotlovich remarked that the hovercraft can be lightly armored using composite materials. “Together with some Minsk companies we are now designing and testing the composite armor of vessels. It is another avenue of cooperation of our company with Belarusian enterprises,” he said.
The Russian company can make up to 24 hovercrafts per annum, however, according to the source, the demand is higher than the manufacturing capacity. The approximate cost of one hovercraft Yamal 730 is about RUB4 million.
The design bureau Neptun was founded in 1974. Today it is one of the world's leading designers and builders of hovercrafts for military and civilian sectors. Neptun's product line includes hovercrafts like Bars, Gepard, Puma, Bizon, and Rys. The most popular vessel is the Irbis model, which has been used in Russia, China, Latin America and other places for many years.
Neptun First Deputy Director General Sergei Kotlovich said that unlike conventional crafts hovercrafts can travel over water, swamps, shallow water, sand, snow, and ice by pumping air under the bottom of the craft, which is encircled by the so-called flexible skirt.
According to the specialist, such crafts weigh very little thanks to the use of composite materials. The Belarusian company OKB TSP boasts the latest technologies to make products out of composite materials, it was the decisive factor for choosing the partner, Sergei Kotlovich said.
The partnership began in late 2012. During the International Maritime Defense Show 2013 the sides signed a relevant agreement, which has resulted in the unique hovercraft Yamal 730. The new product has met strong interest among the power-wielding agencies of Belarus and Russia. Preliminary orders have been submitted by the Emergencies Ministry and the Defense Ministry of Russia, the Navy, the engineering troops of the Russian army, and other special services. “We will hold negotiations to sell our hovercraft to the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry, too,” said the First Deputy Director General of the Russian company.
Sergei Kotlovich remarked that the hovercraft can be lightly armored using composite materials. “Together with some Minsk companies we are now designing and testing the composite armor of vessels. It is another avenue of cooperation of our company with Belarusian enterprises,” he said.
The Russian company can make up to 24 hovercrafts per annum, however, according to the source, the demand is higher than the manufacturing capacity. The approximate cost of one hovercraft Yamal 730 is about RUB4 million.
The design bureau Neptun was founded in 1974. Today it is one of the world's leading designers and builders of hovercrafts for military and civilian sectors. Neptun's product line includes hovercrafts like Bars, Gepard, Puma, Bizon, and Rys. The most popular vessel is the Irbis model, which has been used in Russia, China, Latin America and other places for many years.
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