Supersonic Submarines

Daktaklakpak writes "Not really new stuff, but it's too cool to pass up. Researchers are developing a method called supercavitation which may one day allow submarines to break the sound barrier. It works by placing the entire vessel in a gas bubble except for the tip, thus reducing the total drag." We've run an article about this before, but this is a bit more informative, with a lot of speculation about possible uses... Update: 03/07 03:24 PM EST by michael : Note that space.com does not use permanent URLs for these "breaking news" stories, so the link above is wrong, but should be findable, for a time at least, on the space.com site.

Comments

How do they "see/hear"?

[pmcevoy]

If the sub is travelling at the speed of sound, how do they use their sonar equipment? Surely the cavitation alone would be that noisy that the sonar would be ineffective?

The Correct URL is:

[scotpurl]

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology /space_gear_13.html

that one's for a phone of some sort

Kursk

[peccary]

The theory is that the Russian submarine Kursk was testing this technology (in the form of a torpedo) when it suffered its fatal explosion.

That's why there was a US Sub nearby, cuz we were snooping on the test.

Link

[limboman]

Here's the link (or http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology /space_gear_13.html) - the previous link didn't work for some reason...

sound in air or water?

[Gyl]

Dangit! my work account won't let me access those sites!

So is this the speed of sound measured in air or water? From what I know, the speed of sound in water is a lot more than the speed of sound in air.

If it's the speed of sound in water, I wonder what sort of wave effects this would have, especially on the surface of the water, a sonic boom in water instead of air might be cool to see!

Supercavitation

[K-Man]

The ultimate weapon: a torpedo that makes your teeth fall out.