Today the U.S. Navy announce that itsuccessfully launchedan remote-controlled aery fomite from a submerged submarine . Quite an impressive exploit , no doubt . But it ’s far from a new idea . In fact , the Navy use for a patent of invention on a standardised submarine pilotless aircraft - rocket launcher in 1995 .
https://gizmodo.com/the-navy-just-launched-a-drone-from-a-submarine-while-u-1477323209
The Navy was grantedpatent 5,615,847 in 1997 , which is essentially a less forward-looking version of what they achieve recently . But the worldwide idea — that drones be deploy from submarine vehicle — was certainly a military dream as too soon as the mid-1990s .
The patent explained that their UAV would be launched from a submerged torpedo and operate in the air for “ four hours or more . ” The drone was supposed to fly at a speed of 150 grayback , or about 170 miles per hour . The letters patent also specifically say that these Navy - launch drones would be used for intelligence assemblage .
From the patent abstract :
A submarine launched unmanned aerial fomite comprises an stretch by and large cylindrically - shaped torso . fanny Phoebe are lay in in the body and are self - deployable to extend externally from the body . A protagonist motor is fixed to an aft end of the soundbox and is self - releasable from the body . A propeller is disposed at the aft end of the body and is self - deployable to an expose placement at the aft end of the body after release of the takeoff booster motor . A propulsion motor is get on in the consistence and is operative to drive the propellor . rotor are hive away in the eubstance and are ego - deployed to an exposed position wherein the rotors ply rhytidectomy to the vehicle .
There appear to be some important differences to the 1995 patent program and the 2013 design . For instance , the in full realized concept includes an electrically - power UAV . The 1995 design also used a rotor coil concept rather than wings . And the Navy ’s new deployment system also runs the drone for about 6 hours , compared with the 1995 patent which conservatively claims only four hours .
We often think of unmanned vehicles as being an incredibly new concept . But time and again we see that unmanned organisation have been a huge priority for the U.S. military since at least the former 1990s . And , of course , unmanned vehicles are evenmuch older than that .
The Robot Tanks of WWII , Both Real and Imagined
The Navy ’s superbia in achieve this Modern capability in just 6 years “ from construct to fleet presentment ” is no doubt guarantee . But as historian of the time to come well know , there ’s really nothing new under the UAV sun .
Images : Google Patents
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