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DARPA¡¯s Underwater Express Submarine will go at 100 Knots |
| By Ben on Wed Jul 29 2009 |
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| Gear | Military |
| Currently, the Navy's fastest submarine can only travel at 25 to 30 knots while submerged. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which commissions research for the Defense Department. Electric Boat, the company contracted to design the Underwater Express mini-sub that could potentially transport high-value cargo or small groups of people as fast as 100 knots. The vehicle would travel inside a large gas bubble created in the water, a process known as supercavitation. The bubble reduces drag, since the drag is much lower in air than in water, allowing the vehicle to travel at high speeds. Now this project is enter the testing phase, Electric Boat is woking on a quarter scale model, which if successful, Electric Boat will begin production on a full scale 100-foot submarine. |
"The sub utilizes the phenomenon known as supercavitation. Supercavitation is the process wherein an object moves so fast through the water that it creates a gas bubble around itself, nearly eliminating drag. Unencumbered by the high drag of water, the object is free to speed along at much higher speeds than otherwise possible. Supercavitation has been known since the end of World War Two, and the Soviets succeeded in creating a torpedo that utilizes supercavitation for high-speed travel, but so far no one has succeeded in scaling the effect up to the size of a whole submarine."
Via automotto, gizmodo, popsci |
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