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Submersible Aircraft Concept (DARPA)

120k ACEPILOT109  4.0 years ago

Yes, I made a submersible airplane. Strange and I made it up as I went but with the ultimate goal of a sub plane. Looks like a SF-50 and Ekronoplane had a baby! Works well and looks like a cool research/concept aircraft. I was going to make it military but I like civil air crafts. Make sure to read instructions well! One of the things I really wanted was the jet closing/sealing itself. Its cool to land in the sea and then close up the jet and dive. I also wanted it to feel like a bulky heavy aircraft and keep the agility of a small jet aircraft. I believe I successfully did that, at high speed it flys nimble and at low speeds it handles like a small airliner so it’s easy to flare and land and stuff.

Airplane

Activation Group 1 : Open/close Engine Seal
Activation Group 5 : Landing Lights
Activation Group 6 : Anti Collision
Activation Group 7 : Navigation Lights
Throttle : Engine Thrust (AG-1)
Trim : Trim
VTOL : Listed Bellow
Normal Flight Controls

Ready to take off

Submersible

VTOL : Up/Down Dive
Throttle : Thrust
Activation Group 1 : Deactivated In Sub Mode
Fly like a normal plane, only under water.

Dive Phases!

DARPA's strategic technology office wants an aircraft that can reach a destination, whether it is 1,850km (1,000nm) away by air or 185km by sea or 22km travelling underwater, in less than 8h.

Carrying a crew of eight and 910kg (2,000lb) of payload it would use a snorkel to provide its powerplant's air supply while submerged at shallow depths once at its target. The submersible aircraft would be used for inserting small clandestine teams along coastal waters. After the insertion it could then loiter for up to three days, perhaps at the surface, until the crew rejoined it.

DARPA admits that past efforts in the same area included failed designs to make a submarine fly: "Prior attempts to demonstrate a vehicle with the manoeuvrability of both a submersible and an aircraft have primarily explored approaches that would endow flight capability to platforms that were largely optimised for underwater operations. Unfortunately these attempts have been unsuccessful."

Full Article

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ACEPILOT109 3/11/2020

General Characteristics

  • Successors 1 airplane(s) +7 bonus
  • Created On iOS
  • Wingspan 40.2ft (12.2m)
  • Length 40.8ft (12.4m)
  • Height 16.6ft (5.1m)
  • Empty Weight 10,425lbs (4,728kg)
  • Loaded Weight 14,442lbs (6,550kg)

Performance

  • Power/Weight Ratio 1.167
  • Wing Loading 22.0lbs/ft2 (107.6kg/m2)
  • Wing Area 655.3ft2 (60.9m2)
  • Drag Points 6321

Parts

  • Number of Parts 145
  • Control Surfaces 8
  • Performance Cost 686
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    Should have used this to rescue those guys

    9 months ago
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    @AlexBus31tb
    thank you!

    3.1 years ago
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    I love this plane!

    3.1 years ago
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    @TheMeatball
    lol
    thanks (:

    3.3 years ago
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    @lilgreen06
    thanks (:

    3.5 years ago
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    It flies GREAT! Great job.

    3.5 years ago
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    @lilgreen06
    hope you enjoy, this was one of my favorites to build!

    3.5 years ago
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    I am going to fly this today!

    3.5 years ago
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    gg for de plane a litelle wanki tous taique of wateur

    3.7 years ago
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    @lilgreen06
    Thanks :)

    3.8 years ago
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    Wow! You were able to fInish an unfinished experimental aircraft, and get it to work, well done my friend, well done.

    3.8 years ago
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    675 IndoSP

    @ACEPILOT109 How to take of after diving?

    3.8 years ago
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    105k Hedero

    Its a great design that's for sure!@ACEPILOT109

    4.0 years ago
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    Thanks! And yeah, I really wanted to have a closing engine when I designed it so it just stuck through to building process @Hedero

    4.0 years ago
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    105k Hedero

    I love the idea. I also love the air-tight seal that closes around the engine. I'm not sure how this could be useful in real life though. But I love the out-of-the-box thinking!@ACEPILOT109

    4.0 years ago
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    Lol @vincentwwwwww

    4.0 years ago
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    actually they succeded to make a submersible airplane, it just became a non functioning submarine once submerged tho

    4.0 years ago
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    Thanks man! @tntwiley

    4.0 years ago
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    1,775 tntwiley

    @ACEPILOT109, AWESOME!!!!!!!!

    4.0 years ago
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    for those who want a military one could you modify this one?

    4.0 years ago
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    Yes @SemedianIndustries

    +1 4.0 years ago
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    Lol yeah @GeneralPatrick2

    4.0 years ago
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    Thanks mate @Gameboi14

    4.0 years ago
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    Now we can't say that there are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky

    +3 4.0 years ago
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    You did it, you crazy son of a b**, you did it

    4.0 years ago
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