China develops an unmanned submarine that can fly

Prototype test of surface submarine prototype.

The unmanned ship can conduct a variety of civilian and military operations such as inspecting underwater mines, SCMP reported on August 8. Powered by four thrusters, including a pair on the front, the craft can slowly approach an underwater target and linger in the area for a period of time. Two large folding wings on the back of the ship can be opened when the drone reaches the surface, allowing the vehicle to fly at a speed of 120 km / h, about twice as fast as a conventional drone operated by rotor blades.

The craft consumes very little energy when cruising in fixed-wing mode, so the vehicle can perform some long-range missions in the air, said Professor Ang Haisong, who led the project at Aviation University. Nanning space and astronautics said in research published in the journal Unmanned Systems Technology in June 2022.

The ship consumes very little power when cruising in fixed-wing mode.

Ji Wanfeng, a professor at the Naval Aviation University in Yantai, Shandong, says the multi-purpose vessel is one of the cheapest and most effective methods to cripple defenses on an aircraft carrier . The multi-layered defenses of modern warships can shoot down about half of an approaching plane, missile or drone, according to estimates by Ji et al. But multi-purpose ships can dive underwater when detected by radar and rise to the surface to avoid sound waves.

A multirole craft launched from a distance of 100 km has a near 100% survival rate if it can fly at more than 150 km/h, Ji's team reported in research published in the journal Electronics Optics & Control last month. This type of ship can effectively attack key enemy targets.

The flying submarine developed by Ang's research team has an abdominal airbag that can be filled with water to adjust thrust and to a certain depth without generating noise from the propulsion. When surfing in the water with the wings folded, the elongated shape resembles a conventional submarine to reduce drag and increase mobility. Ang and his colleagues built two small prototypes with a wingspan of about two meters. According to them, the biggest challenge is that if the ship rises directly from the water, the take-off is unstable due to the waves at the surface and the submarine's simultaneous interaction with air and water. To overcome this, they developed a complex control machine so that the submarine could glide over the waves before taking off.