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Researchers To Build Underwater Airplane

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the journey-to-the-bottom-of-the-sea dept.

coondoggie writes to tell us that DARPA seems to still be having fun with their funding and continues to aim for the "far out." The latest program, a submersible airplane, seems to have been pulled directly from science fiction. Hopefully this voyage to the bottom of the sea is of the non-permanent variety. "According to DARPA: 'The difficulty with developing such a craft come from the diametrically opposed requirements that exist for an airplane and a submarine. While the primary goal for airplane designers is to try and minimize weight, a submarine must be extremely heavy in order to submerge underwater. In addition, the flow conditions and the systems designed to control a submarine and an airplane are radically different, due to the order of magnitude difference in the densities of air and water.'"

4 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. Crazy DARPA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Airplanes underwater??? This is crazy talk! Next they will wants subs that fly!

    1. Re:Crazy DARPA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      You're on the right track. Imagine a submersible aircraft carrier that launches flying submarines. Consider your mind blown.

  2. Steve Fosset by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't have anything to say, but everybody else is posting stuff with "Steve Fosset" as the title.

  3. Re:Steve Fossett by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

    This was Fossett's project I believe. They already have a design and partial prototype yes?

    I think they've built a prototype, yes. Unfortunately, the test of the prototype of Fossett's follow-on project, an airplane that can fly underground, ended in disaster.

    Too soon?

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