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Waterspout Helicopter Designed To Take Off Underwater
Waterspout, a small helicopter that can take off underwater from a submarine, has been designed by students at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and the University of Pennsylvania. The joint team of students have won first prize in a US helicopter design competition.
(Underwater helicopter takes off from submerged submarine)
The helicopter is sized to take off from within submarines using existing openings; of necessity, it is large enough to hold only two passengers. Note that this is a design only; no prototype exists.
Waterspout would also float on the water even in rough seas; it would have enough fuel to fly 260 kilometers at a time. The small submarine-based helicopter would make use of stealth technology; it is designed with low heat emissions and special coatings to make it harder to spot with radar.
The Pennsylvania team was responsible for the aerodynamics of the rotors and the fuel system; the Technion team planned the rotor mechanics, the blade-folding mechanism, and the takeoff mechanism.
The model won first prize in the first-degree student category in a helicopter planning competition organized by the American Helicopter Society.
If you're interested in things that fly, but take off from underwater, see Cormorant Submarine/Sea Launched Multi-Purpose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 10/31/2007)
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