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British Scorpio craft / Photo: AFP

Russia to Buy British Robot Rescue Submarine

Created: 18.01.2006 11:38 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 13:06 MSK

MosNews

Russia said it was buying a British robot submarine of the type that last year helped rescue seven of its sailors stranded on the seabed, the AFP news agency reported.

“We are going to order this year a British Scorpio craft to carry out crew rescue missions and also various civilian missions,” Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said, according to Russian news agencies.

Moscow will base the transportable version, which can be carried by cargo aircraft, at St. Petersburg in northwest Russia.

The usefulness of the Scorpio — and the failings of the Russian military — were highlighted last August when seven Russian sailors in the AS-28 “Priz” mini-submarine were trapped 190 meters (625 feet) under water in the Pacific Ocean for more than 75 hours. They were finally brought to the surface after a remote-controlled British Scorpio-45 vessel flown from Scotland cut through the cables and nets ensnaring the Russian submarine.

The incident, following the loss of the Kursk submarine and its 118 crew in the Barents Sea in August 2000, highlighted the Russian military’s lack of transparency and resources.

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