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Naval aviation of the Russian Navy: current state and prospects. Winged submarines: Underwater fighters and aircraft carriers Flying aircraft submarines and their characteristics

Undisputed dominance armed forces one country over the whole world - these are the main priorities of the leading powers of the 20th century, and even now. It is not surprising that the USSR and the USA have always been secretly or openly fighting for power superiority. In such a competition there are never winners and losers, since everything is relative, but it is worth crossing the fine line, and the real war is just around the corner.

In order to remain among the leading countries in the world, the USSR could not afford to lag behind in the development of both civilian and military technologies. Thanks to this arms race, this moment many of the greatest and very promising projects of the past gather dust in the archives of both countries. In the current era of the declassification of the "TOP SECRET" documents of the KGB and the CIA, many crazy projects of scientists have become known to mankind, for example, "Atomic Bullets" or "Flying Submarine". So what is a flying submarine (LPL) and where could it be used?

Having received a go-ahead from Stalin regarding the creation of a fundamentally new navy countries through large-scale scientific research and the introduction of advanced technologies, technical minds from all over the USSR receive a certain freedom of thought. Since the 1930s, scientists have been developing new ships, guns, and some unimaginable projects. Among them is the idea of creating an LPL - a flying submarine.

Now it is difficult to imagine a submarine-aircraft. But we must pay tribute to the talented engineer Boris Ushakov, who, while studying at the Higher Maritime Institute. Dzerzhinsky (1934-1937) was able to create on paper a project for a future flying submarine.

Another idea, ahead of its time, arose as much as 30 years earlier than Western competitors thought about it. At first, Ushakov's plan was received with a bang, however, a few years later, the NIVK (research military committee) decided to freeze the project. No, this does not mean that the studies were fruitless or unpromising: the committee simply regarded the brainchild of Boris Ushakov as too difficult to implement, moreover, too energy- and financially costly.

The official reason was composed something like this: "The project is curtailed due to insufficient speed under water, although the commission considered it very promising for the Soviet Navy." Of course, the scientist could not come to terms with such a decision and continued to work on his own. But without serious funding, the implementation of the LPL was still impossible.

LPL design, purpose and effective application

The most interesting information is technical specifications aircraft submarines. Firstly, in appearance, the device was a 3-propeller aircraft with a cockpit in which a periscope was installed.

Secondly, by internal device compartments were divided:

the first three aircraft engines with AM-34 engines;
one living compartment;
a room with a battery installation;
compartment with a propeller motor.

Although the project remained only on paper, all the technical aspects were carefully thought out and calculated, that is, they are quite feasible. All flight instruments were located in sealed capsules and could not be exposed to water. The body of the aircraft was supposed to be made of duralumin (light, but quite durable metal), but the wings were made of steel. Tanks with fuel and oily liquids were made of rubber to prevent damage and fuel leakage.

The range of applications for such an air-underwater monster was as wide as possible. Imagine a rough picture of the actions. An LPL with a crew of 3 takes off from a military airfield. After some time, it flies to the target, from a bird's eye view it detects the course of the ship. Further, the aircraft quietly maneuvers and splashes down over the horizon along the course of the object. By the way, the process of splashdown and full immersion takes only 1.5 minutes. Maximum diving depth - 45 m, autonomy - 48 hours. Since acoustic systems may well detect an unidentified object at sea, it is recommended for LPLs to maintain complete silence and wait a bit until the target comes within range of the shot. Soon a torpedo is fired, and the submarine floats up and takes off into the sky.

Given its considerable flight speed and altitude limit (185 km / h, maximum height- 2.5 km), it will not be easy to hide quickly special work. The flight range also cannot but please - 800 km, however, the speed under water is 2-3 knots, which, translated into understandable kilometers, is 3-5 km / h. It was this fact that did not play in favor of research.

Another situation. It is necessary to approach the enemy shores and carry out bombing. The aforementioned aircraft-submarine will also help here, which can equally hide both in the water and high in the clouds.

There are plenty of pluses, for example, minefields for such a boat are not an obstacle. And you can use LPL both for reconnaissance purposes and for military operations. If you create small groups of 3 aircraft each, then such flying submarines could create a barrier for warships at a distance of more than 10 km. Three Ushakov submarines had 2 torpedoes and 2 twin machine guns each. For 10 km of space, 6 torpedoes are quite enough to stop the enemy.

However, even such advantages could not influence the opinion of the leadership, and in 1937 the project was frozen.

American fantasies - UFO or secret development of the USSR

In 1963, a significant event took place near the state of California. The film captured the appearance of a UFO from the water, which looked like an ordinary plane. The information obtained from the declassified archives suggests that the object that soared into the sky was not of alien origin, but of a completely human construction. And if you listen to the Americans, then in general it should say “Made in USSR”. But is it?

Thanks to the report of Richard Colen (a sheriff's assistant who worked at the time of the appearance of the UFO), it is known from his words and taking into account the video footage he shot that the object has the shape of an airplane, and reality does not allow it to be considered a UFO. Immediately after the video was made public, the White House claims that Soviet intelligence was testing its new weapon prototype off Katolina Island. From the words of Charles Brown (employee of the Office of Special Investigations of the US Air Force in 1965-1983), it becomes clear that the leadership of the United States was sure that this phenomenon was nothing more than the intrigues of the USSR. Moreover, they were convinced that such an open appearance of a UFO-like object was an oversight by the intelligence forces of the Soviet Union.

In response, the USSR is silent. It seems that the version of Russian involvement is confirmed, but this cannot be. After all, it is already known for sure that the project to develop a flying submarine was closed back in 1937, and for 3 years of development, the whole color of Soviet science did not manage to create a single real full-size sample. So, is it still a UFO or a flying submarine? How to know? Many documents are still kept under a special stamp, and some of them will never be declassified.

The West does not sleep - analogues of the US LPL

Despite the fact that the United States came up with the idea of creating a flying underwater vehicle, but in the end, the project reached the end, through the jungle of underfunding and other problems.

At first, the Americans tried to create an ordinary drone that would take off at depth from a submarine, and then take off into the air.

The first attempt was 10 years after the Soviet surveys - in 1945. For unknown reasons, the project was soon closed. The second such attempt was embodied much later - in 1964, and in two projects at once:

It turned out that the United States brought to life the idea of \u200b\u200ba flying submarine

Finally, the third attempt was successful. The American concern Lockheed Martin in 1975 introduced the first workable copy called "Carmoran". In his performance characteristics the ability to take off quickly from a depth of 150 meters was invested, and the maximum acceleration rates reached figures of 400 km / h. Moreover, the Stealth system made the device invisible to

Photo of the device (side). Streamlined shapes are visible, which equally well help to develop decent speed both in airspace and under water.

At the moment, LPL Karmoran is the only one of its kind. But let's not forget the immortal project of Boris Ushakov. In fact, the Americans created an unmanned submarine, but they could not create a manned vehicle with the indicated properties, like the Soviet LPL Ushakov.

It remains only to hope that the current Russian scientists will remember the developments of Ushakov, gathering dust on the shelves of history, and will be able to approach the implementation of the issue with modern point vision, that is, better than it could have been in those days.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

The aircraft detects the enemy from the air and delivers a disorienting blow. Then, having retired from the line of sight, the car sits on the water and plunges to a depth of several meters in a minute and a half. The target is destroyed by an unexpected torpedo strike. In case of a miss, the device rises to the surface in two minutes and takes off to repeat the air attack. A bunch of three similar machines creates an impenetrable barrier for any enemy ship. Designer Boris Petrovich Ushakov saw his flying submarine like this

Edition PM

Flight tactical characteristics LPL Crew: 3 pers. // Takeoff weight: 15,000 kg // Flight speed: 100 (~200) knots. (km/h) // Flight range: 800 km // Ceiling: 2500 m // Number and type of aircraft engines: 3 x AM-34 // Takeoff power: 3 x 1200 hp // Max. add. takeoff/landing and dive roughness: 4-5 points // Underwater speed: 4-5 knots // Diving depth: 45 m // Submerged range: 45 miles // Underwater autonomy: 48 h // Propeller power: 10 hp // Dive time: 1.5 min // Ascent time: 1.8 min // Armament: 18-in. torpedo: 2 pcs. coaxial machine gun: 2 pcs.

Winged submarine Donald Reid Commander-2 Developed with the participation of the US Navy in 1964, this submarine, in the form in which it is depicted in the diagram and drawing, never existed in reality

Submarine Conveir, 1964: this project could have become one of the most successful in the development of winged submarines, if not for the resistance of US Senator Allen Elender, who unexpectedly closed funding

The Cormorant unmanned submarine developed by Skunk Works (USA) and tested as a full-size model in 2006. All details about this project are hidden under the heading "top secret"

Of course, such a project could not fail to appear. If you have an amphibious vehicle, why not teach a plane to dive underwater? It all started in the 30s. Second-year cadet of the Higher Naval Engineering School. F.E. Dzerzhinsky (Leningrad) Boris Petrovich Ushakov embodied on paper the idea of a flying submarine (LPL), or rather, an underwater aircraft.

In 1934, he provided a voluminous folder of drawings along with a report to the department of his university. The project for a long time "walked" through the corridors, departments and offices of the school, received the stamp "secret"; Ushakov more than once finalized the scheme of the submarine in accordance with the comments received. In 1935, he received three copyright certificates for various components of his design, and in April 1936 the project was sent for consideration by the Scientific Research Military Committee (NIVK, later TsNIIVK) and at the same time to the Naval Academy. A large role was played by a detailed and generally positive report on the work of Ushakov, prepared by Captain 1st Rank A.P. Surin.

It was only in 1937 that the project was endorsed by the NIVK professor, the head of the department of tactics of combat means, Leonid Yegorovich Goncharov: “It is desirable to continue the development of the project in order to reveal the reality of its implementation,” the professor wrote. The document was also studied and approved by the head of the NIVK, a military engineer of the 1st rank, Karl Leopoldovich Grigaitis. In 1937-1938, the project nevertheless continued to "walk" along the corridors. Nobody believed in its reality. At first, he was included in the work plan of department "B" of the NIVC, where, after graduating from college, Ushakov entered as a military technician of the 1st rank, then he was excluded again, and the young inventor continued to work on his own.

plane aquarium

The submarine aircraft gradually acquired the final appearance and "stuffing". Outwardly, the device looked much more like an airplane than a submarine. An all-metal machine weighing 15 tons with a crew of three was theoretically supposed to reach speeds of up to 200 km / h and have a flight range of 800 km. The speed under water is 3-4 knots, the diving depth is 45 m, the range of the "swim" is 5-6 km. The aircraft was supposed to be driven by three 1000-horsepower AM-34 engines designed by Alexander Mikulin. Superchargers allowed the engines to carry out short-term forcing with an increase in power up to 1200 hp.

It is worth noting that at that time AM-34s were the most promising aircraft engines manufactured in the USSR. The design of the 12-cylinder piston power unit in many respects anticipated the development of aircraft engines of the well-known companies Rolls-Royce, Daimler-Benz and Packard - only the technical "closedness" of the USSR prevented Mikulin from gaining worldwide fame.

Inside, the aircraft had six sealed compartments: three for engines, one residential, one for a battery, and one for a 10 hp propeller motor. The living compartment was not the cockpit, but was used only for scuba diving. The cockpit was flooded during the dive, as was a number of leaky compartments. This made it possible to make part of the fuselage from lightweight materials that were not designed for high pressure. The wings were completely filled with water by gravity through the scuppers on the flaps - to equalize the internal and external pressure.

The fuel and oil supply systems were turned off shortly before full immersion. At the same time, the pipelines were sealed. The aircraft was covered with anti-corrosion coatings (lacquer and paint). The dive took place in four stages: first, the engine compartments were battened down, then the radiator and battery compartments, then the control was switched to underwater, and finally, the crew moved into a sealed compartment. The aircraft was armed with two 18-inch torpedoes and two machine guns.

On January 10, 1938, the project was re-examined by the second department of the NIVK. Nevertheless, everyone understood that the project was "raw" and huge funds would be spent on its implementation, and the result could be zero. The years were very dangerous, there were mass repressions, and it was possible to get under a hot hand even for an inadvertently dropped word or a “wrong” surname. The committee made a number of serious remarks, expressing doubts about the ability of Ushakov's plane to take to the skies, catch up with the departing ship under water, etc. As a distraction, it was proposed to make a model and test it in the pool. There is no more mention of the Soviet submarine aircraft. Ushakov long years worked in shipbuilding on ekranoplans and air-winged ships. And from the flying boat, only diagrams and drawings remained.

Engine under the hood

A project similar to Ushakov's in the United States appeared many years later. As in the USSR, its author was an enthusiast whose work was considered insane and unrealizable. A fanatical designer and inventor, electronics engineer Donald Reid has been developing submarines and creating models of them since 1954. At some point, he came up with the idea to build the world's first flying submarine.

Raid collected a number of models of flying submarines, and when he was convinced of their performance, he proceeded to assemble a full-fledged apparatus. To do this, he used mainly parts from decommissioned aircraft. Reid assembled the first copy of the Reid RFS-1 submarine by 1961. The aircraft was registered as an aircraft under the number N1740 and was powered by a 65-horsepower 4-cylinder Lycoming aircraft engine. In 1962, an RFS-1 aircraft piloted by Donald Bruce's son flew 23 meters over the surface of the Shrewsbury River in New Jersey. Immersion experiments could not be carried out: serious design flaws affected.

To turn the aircraft into a submarine, the pilot had to remove the propeller and close the engine with a rubber cap, working on the principle of a diving bell. An electric motor with a power of 1 hp was located in the tail. (for movement under water). The cockpit was not airtight - the pilot was forced to use scuba gear.

A number of popular science magazines wrote about the Reid project, and in 1964 the US Navy became interested in it. In the same year, the second copy of the boat was built - Commander-2 (the first received the "military" name Commander-1). On July 9, 1964, the aircraft reached a speed of 100 km/h and made its first dive. In the first model of the aircraft, when immersed, the remaining fuel from the tanks was pumped out into the reservoir, and water was pumped into the tanks to make the structure heavier. Thus, the RFS-1 could no longer take off again. The second modification was supposed to get rid of this drawback, but it didn’t come to that, since the entire structure would have to be reworked. After all, fuel tanks were also used as diving tanks.

However, the design turned out to be too thin and light to be used for military purposes. Soon, the leadership of the Navy lost interest in the project and curtailed funding. Until his death in 1991, Reid tried to "advance" his project, but did not achieve success.

In 2004, his son Bruce wrote and published the book The Flying Submarine: The History of the Invention of the Raid Flying Submarine RFS-1. The RFS-1 aircraft itself is kept at the Pennsylvania Aviation Museum.

However, some sources claim that Reid's project has been developed. The US Navy decided to build the "Airship" (Aeroship) - a twin-body aircraft capable of diving under water. Allegedly in 1968 at the World Industrial Exhibition, this aircraft made a spectacular landing on the water, and then diving and surfacing. However, the official program of the exhibition that year (held in San Antonio) did not include a demonstration of a submarine aircraft. Further traces of this design are lost under the heading "secret".

Underwater rock of the 1960s

In April 1945, a man named Houston Harrington suddenly appeared on the horizon, applying for a patent "Combining an aircraft and a submarine." The patent was received on December 25, but things did not go further. Harrington's submarine looked very beautiful, but nothing is known about its flight data or underwater qualities. Subsequently, Harrington became famous in the United States as the owner of the record label Atomic-H.

Another patent for a similar design was obtained in the US in 1956. It was created by the American Donald Doolittle (together with Reid). This design was repelled rather than from an aircraft, but from a submarine. Movement under water was traditionally provided by an electric motor, but the flight was carried out using two jet engines.

In 1964, Conveir offered the US Air Force the development of a small submarine aircraft. Documents were presented - drawings, diagrams and even some fantastic "photos". Conveir received from the Bureau of Naval Weapons technical task, which included a speed of 280-420 km / h, a diving depth of 460 m, a flight range of 555-955 km, etc. Despite the clearly overstated requirements, the contract was concluded.

The project implemented Reid's idea of using fuel tanks as diving tanks, but the fuel was not drained, but entered into other special tanks - to better distribute the load under water. The living compartment and the engine compartment were sealed, the rest of the submarine was filled with water. In the manufacture of the submarine, it was planned to use ultra-light and heavy-duty materials, including titanium. The team consisted of two people. Several models were made and successfully tested.

The denouement came unexpectedly: in 1966, the famous Senator Allen Elender, head of the Senate Arms Committee, frankly ridiculed the project and ordered the development to be stopped. A full-size sample was never made.

Locked down border

Inventors are in no hurry to create Vehicle for two environments. The main problem is the high density difference between air and water. While an aircraft should be as light as possible, a submarine, on the contrary, tends to be heavier in order to achieve maximum efficiency. It is necessary to create completely different aerodynamic and hydrodynamic concepts for water and for air. For example, the wings that support the aircraft in the air only get in the way underwater. Structural strength also plays an important role and leads to the weight of the boat-plane, since such a unit must withstand very high water pressure.

Developed by Skunk Works, the Cormorant (Cormorant) project is an unmanned aerial vehicle powered by two jet engines. "Cormorant" can start from special underwater carriers - submarines of the "Ohio" class. The reserve of the underwater course of the "Cormorant" is very small - only to get to the surface, and then, after completing the surface task, return to the carrier. Under water, the wings of the drone are folded and do not interfere with movement.

The body of the aircraft is made of titanium, there are no voids in it (they are filled with a material similar to foam), and the geometry of the body resembles a cross between a seagull and Stealth.

Tests of individual Baklan systems were carried out, its reduced model was tested, as well as a full-scale model, devoid of part of the structural elements. But since 2007, there has been practically no information about the developments of the Cormorant, probably falling under the classic heading "top secret".

Flying submarine - aircraft, combining the ability of a hydroplane to take off and land on water and the ability of a submarine to move underwater.

Since the requirements for a submarine are almost the opposite of those for a perfect aircraft, the detailed study of the project of such a vehicle was truly

revolutionary.

Airship (English Aeroship)

Based on the results of the construction of Commander Reid, a decision was made to build an Aeroship. It was a twin-fuselage aircraft with ramjet engines. Landing on the water was carried out on retractable floats, outwardly resembling water skis. The jet engines were sealed immediately before landing. Fuel tanks were located in the bearing planes.

The flight range of the Aeroship was up to 300 km, at a flight speed of up to 130 km/h; speed under water - 8 knots. Aeroship was presented to the public in August 1968 at the New York Industrial Exhibition: in front of the visitors of the exhibition, the flying submarine made a spectacular landing, plunged under water and again surfaced.

Technical problems

A flying submarine must be equally effective both in the water and in the air. And this despite the fact that water is 775 times denser than air.

The biggest technical problem is the mass of the flying submarine. In accordance with the law of Archimedes, in order to be under water at a constant depth, the mass of water displaced by a submarine must be equal to the mass of the submarine itself. This is contrary to the approach to aircraft design, which says that the aircraft should be as light as possible. Thus, in order for the aircraft to be able to be under water, it must increase its weight by about four times.
Large water tanks (up to 30% of the aircraft volume) must be built into the fuselage or wings so that the aircraft can dive by filling the tanks with ballast water.
At the same time, it is difficult to create a powerful (and at the same time light) battery and electric motor to effectively move such a mass under water.

The next serious problem is the significant water resistance on the wings when moving. Wings do not allow a flying submarine to reach high speed under water. In other words, either the wings must be retracted or discarded, or a more powerful electric motor should be installed.

Further, an intractable problem is water pressure at great depths. For every 10 meters of depth, the pressure increases by 1 atmosphere, plus one more atmosphere of air pressure on the surface of the water.
So, for example, at a depth of 25 meters the pressure is 3.5 atmospheres, and at a depth of 50 meters it is already 6 atmospheres. These are such significant values that no ordinary aircraft can withstand the pressure at such depths. Thus, in order to counteract the pressure, it is necessary to significantly increase the strength, and hence the mass of the aircraft.

If, for example, a flying submarine must take off not from the surface of the water, like conventional seaplanes, but directly from under the water, then even more powerful engines are needed for such a take-off to overcome the force of the surface tension of the liquid. In addition, the development must also take into account the often conflicting requirements of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics.

USA

Flying Submarine: Drawing for U.S. Patent #2,720,367, 1956

During the Cold War, American strategists assumed serious problems in the wiring and use of ships and submarines in the waters of the Baltic, Black and Azov seas.
However, the problem can be easily solved with the help of flying submarines. In a similar way, it is possible to impede the movement of ships even in the inland Caspian Sea.

Because in the aforementioned seas Soviet government did not expect to see the American naval forces - it was to be assumed that there were no means of detecting submarines there. The experience of using Italian and Japanese mini-submarines during World War II showed that after completing the mission, the crew is almost impossible to evacuate.
Thus, the goal was formulated, which the mini-submarines had to solve: unexpected appearance, attack Soviet ships and safe evacuation of the crew.

In 1945, the American inventor Houston Harrington applied for a patent "Combining an aircraft and a submarine". In 1956, US patent No. 2720367 was published, which outlined the idea of a flying mini-submarine. Scuba diving was to be carried out by an electric motor.
Takeoff and landing were to be carried out on the water surface. The plane was supposed to fly by means of two jet engines, pressurized when immersed.
The aircraft was supposed to be armed with one torpedo. A similar project, called Cormorant, is currently being developed in the United States under the leadership of the Navy, which is an armed unmanned aerial vehicle launched from a submarine.

USSR

In the mid 30s Soviet Union began building a powerful fleet. Construction plans implied the commissioning of battleships, aircraft carriers and auxiliary ships of other classes. There were numerous ideas of technical and tactical solutions to the tasks.
In the USSR, on the eve of the Second World War, a flying submarine project was proposed - a project that was never implemented.

From 1934 to 1938 the flying submarine project (abbreviated: LPL) was led by Boris Ushakov. The LPL was a three-engine, two-float seaplane equipped with a periscope.

Even while studying at the Higher Marine Engineering Institute named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky in Leningrad (now the Naval Engineering Institute), from 1934 until his graduation in 1937, student Boris Ushakov worked on a project in which the capabilities of a seaplane were supplemented submarine capabilities.
The invention was based on a seaplane capable of submerging under water. Over the years of work on the project, it has been reworked many times, as a result of which there are many options for the implementation of nodes and structural elements. In April 1936, Ushakov's project was considered by the competent commission, which found it worthy of consideration and implementation in a prototype.

In July 1936 preliminary design the flying submarine was submitted for consideration to the research military committee of the Red Army. The Committee accepted the draft for consideration and proceeded to check the submitted theoretical calculations.

In 1937, the project was transferred to the execution of the department "B" of the research committee. However, during the re-calculations, inaccuracies were found that led to its suspension. Ushakov, now in the position of military technician of the first rank, served in department "B" and, in free time continued to work on the project.

In January 1938, the newly revised draft was again reviewed by the second department of the committee. The final version of the LPL was an all-metal aircraft with a flight speed of 100 knots and an underwater speed of about 3 knots.

Submerged motors were covered with metal shields. LPL was supposed to have 6 sealed compartments in the fuselage and wings. In three compartments sealed during immersion, Mikulin AM-34 motors of 1000 hp were installed. With. each (with a turbocharger in takeoff mode up to 1200 hp); in a pressurized cabin should have been located instruments, accumulator battery and electric motor.

The remaining compartments should be used as tanks filled with ballast water for diving LPL. Preparation for the dive should have taken only a couple of minutes. The fuselage was supposed to be an all-metal duralumin cylinder with a diameter of 1.4 m and a wall thickness of 6 mm.
The cockpit was filled with water during the dive. Therefore, all devices were supposed to be installed in a waterproof compartment. The crew had to move to the diving control module located further in the fuselage. Bearing planes and flaps should be made of steel, and floats of duralumin.
These elements were supposed to be filled with water through the valves provided for this, in order to equalize the pressure on the wings when diving. Flexible fuel and lubricant tanks should be located in the fuselage. For corrosion protection, the entire aircraft had to be covered with special varnishes and paints.
Two 18-inch torpedoes were suspended under the fuselage. The planned combat load was to be 44.5% of the total mass of the aircraft. This is the typical value of heavy aircraft of that time. To fill the tanks with water, the same electric motor was used, which provided movement under water.

LPL was supposed to be used for torpedo attacks on ships on the high seas. She was supposed to detect the ship from the air, calculate its course, leave the ship's visibility zone and, moving into a submerged position, attack it.

one more possible way the use of LPLs was to overcome minefields around the bases and navigation areas of enemy ships. The LPL was supposed to fly over the minefields under the cover of darkness and take up a position for reconnaissance or waiting and attacking in a submerged position. The next tactical maneuver was to be a group of LPLs, capable of successfully attacking all ships in a zone up to 15 km long.

In 1938, the Research Military Committee of the Red Army decided to curtail work on the Flying Submarine project due to the lack of submerged mobility of the submarine. The decree stated that after the discovery of the LPL by the ship, the latter would undoubtedly change course. Which will reduce the combat value of the LPL and, with a high degree of probability, will lead to the failure of the mission.

Reid's Flying Submarine (RFS-1)

Donald Reid (eng. Donald V. Reid) in the early 60s of the last century built a radio-controlled demonstration model of a flying submarine with dimensions of 1x1 meter.

In 1964, his invention was awarded an article in one of the popular science magazines in America. The article was the first to use the word Triphibia, by analogy with an amphibian. Of course, this article aroused the interest of the military, who wanted to translate the project into metal. The development of the project was transferred to the corporations Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation and Electric Boat (a division of General Dynamics). As a result of the study, the feasibility of the project was confirmed.

In 1964, Reid, commissioned by the US Navy, built a scale copy of the Commander-1 flying submarine in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Commander became the first American flying submarine. The prototype is on display at the Mid-Atlantic Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania.

The current Commander-2 prototype was tested in all modes. He could dive to a depth of 2 meters, move under water at a speed of 4 knots. The design flight speed of the prototype was supposed to be 300 km / h, but a speed of about 100 km / h was achieved.
The first flight took place on July 9, 1964. After diving to a depth of 2 meters, a take-off was made and a short flight at a height of 10 meters.
For immersion, the engine was sealed with rubber seals and the propeller was removed from it. The pilot was connected to a breathing apparatus and was in an open cockpit during underwater movement. An electric motor with a power of 736 watts was located in the tail.
The aircraft was numbered 1740 and was powered by a single 65 hp four-cylinder internal combustion engine. With. Commander received a delta wing, the length of the fuselage is 7 meters.
Fuel tanks were also diving tanks. After landing on the water, the fuel was pumped out into the water and ballast water was pumped into the tanks. That is, takeoff after a dive was basically impossible.

In 1934, a naval engineer developed and demonstrated to the management Soviet military-industrial complex the first project of a submarine-aircraft. Externally, it was a powerful seaplane with three motors, equipped with a periscope. The examination of the project lasted two years, after which the engineer was summoned to the Ministry of Defense and categorically stated that his project was interesting, worthy of attention and immediate implementation in practice.

Further work on the creation of a submarine-aircraft was to take place under the auspices of the Military Research Committee. But, unfortunately, when the detailed study of the project began in 1937, it was considered too complicated and closed. However, Boris Ushakov had a completely different opinion about his offspring.

He continued to work on the creation of a submarine-aircraft on his own. The scientist sincerely believed that the implementation of his project was essential for the Soviet Navy. With the help of this mechanism, it was possible to conduct naval reconnaissance, surprise attacks on ships and coastal cities, successfully overcome sea minefields by air, as well as just three submarines- by aircraft to create a barrier for enemy ships with a length of up to 10 km.

At the same time, the technical side of the project was fully thought out and technically feasible. The boat had six compartments. Three of them housed aircraft engines. This was followed by a living room, a battery pack and a compartment with a propeller motor. All flight instruments were in sealed compartments and could not be damaged by water.

The hull of the submarine - aircraft was to be made of duralumin, while the wings were supposed to be made of steel. The saddest thing is that in 1938, during a second discussion of the possibility of creating a submarine - an aircraft, the government commission recognized the project as technically feasible, but closed it due to low speed under water.

In 1934, a naval engineer developed and demonstrated to the leadership of the Soviet military-industrial complex the first project of a submarine-aircraft. Externally, it was a powerful seaplane with three motors, equipped with a periscope. The examination of the project lasted two years, after which the engineer was summoned to the Ministry of Defense and categorically stated that his project was interesting, worthy of attention and immediate implementation in practice.

He continued to work on the creation of a submarine-aircraft on his own. The scientist sincerely believed that the implementation of his project was essential for the Soviet Navy. With the help of this mechanism, it was possible to conduct naval reconnaissance, unexpectedly attack ships and coastal cities, successfully overcome sea minefields by air, and also create a barrier for enemy ships with a length of up to 10 km with just three aircraft.