Kalashnikov Details Three Assault Boats

Kalashnikov has showcased its three new military assault boats for the first time at the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS 2015) in St. Petersburg.

Kalashnikov unveiled BK-10 assault landing boat, a BK-9 assault support boat and a BK-16 multipurpose amphibious boat.

“What is central to the new vessels is that they all can be equipped with drones capable of taking off directly from the boats,” the company said in a statement.

The IMDS show took place July 1-5, where more than 30 Russian military vessels are being presented to the public.

“For the first time Kalashnikov is presenting a single battle group of multipurpose landing crafts with modern weapon systems, as well as the latest developments in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have the ability to launch from the deck of the boat,” the company said in a statement.

Kalashnikov Concern also demonstrated the BK-16, which is a multipurpose amphibious landing boat with a remote-controlled combat module and light reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) on board. It has been designed for coastal landing operations or assault support.

The BK-10 assault landing boat was designed to carry squads of up to 10 soldiers and can conduct coastal landing operations and provide fire support.

The final BK-9 craft is a smaller assault support boat that is equipped with additional armor plates for more protection while landing a squad.

All three crafts can reach speeds of up to 40 knots (about 46 mph or 74 kph) and cruise at speeds of 20 knots (about 23 mph or 37 kph).

In May, Kalashnikov Concern presented its new unmanned aerial vehicles and landing boats at the Integrated Safety & Security Exhibition (ISSE-2015) in Moscow. The show came after an announcement in February that the company had bought a controlling share (51 percent) in the ZALA Aero Group, an air drone maker; and Rybinsk Shipyard, a shipbuilding company.