Aircraft operating under water

A British engineer has successfully designed the world's first winged submarine, acting as a domestic aircraft. Every time there is an accident or a power outage, it will automatically float to the surface and not sink to the bottom.

Submarine model with Super Falcon wings.Photo: Graham Hawkes.

Graham Hawkes, founder of Hawkes Ocean Technologies, said the product he invented could dive to a depth of 450 meters and travel at more than 11 km / h. Super Falcon, the name of the ship, belongs to the Deep Flight submarine and is the most advanced version. Earlier Hawkes built three versions of this submarine family.

'After 20 years of experimentation, Super Falcon is our most modern and sleekest submarine. It converges all the groundbreaking techniques in the field of making water and ocean floor vehicles , 'Hawkes said.

Super Falcon has two independent cockpit.Photo: Graham Hawkes.

Ordinary submarines take water into the body to increase weight each time they dive, but Super Falcon does not work on that principle. It always floats and sinks using wings that are inverted to the wings of an airplane. The wings create a downward thrust when the engine is operating, like an airplane using a recessed wing to create lift. Super Falcon has a carbon fiber body with high pressure resistance. Hawkes designed two cabins with two independent control systems. The ship also has equipment and tools for pilots of military aircraft. A pair of batteries provides power to the ship.

Super Falcon dives with wings, not sucking water into the body like a normal submarine.Photo: Graham Hawkes.

Super Falcon can dive at speeds of 1 m / sec and climb up to 2 m / sec. Passengers will not have to worry about pressure changes in the compressed air phenomenon, because the pressure in the cabin is always maintained at 1 meter. Super Falcon operates with a computer and electrical signals, not cables and tow bars like many other submarines. It can jump up, rotate vertically by the body, move in a corner. A throttle valve (butterfly valve) allows the driver to adjust the depth. Ships can 'fly' in circular or straight line trajectories.

'It's advanced enough to dive with dolphins, pop up the water with whales and search for wrecks,' Hawkes said. Super Falcon also has an automatic rewind mode, which means that the ship will automatically float to the surface if there is a problem. The amount of oxygen in the vessel is sufficient for 24 hours.

Each Super Falcon is sold for $ 1.5 million.