Russia AS-40 "Bester-1" deep-submergence submarine rescue vehicle

[Soldier30]

Search-and-rescue exercises were conducted by Russia's Pacific Fleet. The drills featured rare footage of the AS-40 deep-submergence vehicle docking with a submarine, as called for in the exercise plan. The AS-40 "Bester-1" (Project 18271) deep-submergence rescue vehicle was built at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg in 2016. The AS-40 is air-transportable and can be deployed from various rescue vessels. It communicates with the mother ship via radio; if the radio fails, the "Bester" deploys a special cable overboard to transmit signals. The vehicle can rescue personnel from a distressed submarine using a "dry" transfer method via a special docking chamber. Constructed from titanium, the AS-40 can dive to depths of up to 750 meters and evacuate up to 22 people. Specifications for the AS-40 include a submerged displacement of 39.5 tons, an endurance of 3 days, a speed of 3 knots, an operating range of 11.5 nautical miles, and a crew of three.