Chinese researchers are working on a flying submarine concept that can cruise underwater and fly in the air.
A research team from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in eastern China claimed to have built and tested a prototype submarine drone capable of flying in the air at high speed, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on August 8.
According to the researchers, the unmanned vessel can fulfill various civilian and military purposes like inspection of underwater mines.
Researchers described that the drone is driven by four propellers, including a pair at the front that tilts while noting that it can approach an underwater target slowly and linger in a particular area for long durations.
The drone has two large wings that fold over its back when it glides underwater, offering it a streamlined submarine shape, which reduces drag and provides higher mobility.
The wings extend when the drone reaches the surface of the water, enabling it to fly at a speed of 120 km/hr, twice the rate of an ordinary drone powered by rotor blades.
It “consumes little energy when cruising in fixed-wing mode, so it can perform some fast, long-range missions in the air,” Professor Ang Haisong, lead project scientist, wrote about the drone in a paper published in June.
Source: Eurasian Times