How underwater warfare could look in 2051: UK students design futuristic submarines controlled by THOUGHT for Royal Navy challenge
- Royal Navy project shows how underwater warfare could look in 50 years' time
- Designs were conceived by a group of young British engineers and scientists
- A crewed mothership fires torpedoes shaped like fish that swarm enemies
- It would be able to launch eel-like drone vessels equipped with sensor pods which dissolve on demand to avoid enemy detection
Futuristic submarine designs that mimic real marine creatures have been created for a Royal Navy project to show how underwater warfare could look in 2051.
The concepts unveiled include a crewed mothership shaped like a manta ray and fish-shaped torpedoes sent to swarm against enemy targets.
The mothership, conceived by a group of young British engineers and scientists, would be crewed by only 20 people, who would use their minds to control the ship.
The concepts unveiled include a crewed mothership shaped like a manta ray (pictured). Young students from UKNEST, a not-for-profit organisation based in Portsdown, Portsmouth, which promotes science and technology for UK naval design, took part in the design challenge
Young students from UKNEST, a not-for-profit organisation based in Portsdown, Portsmouth, which promotes science, engineering and technology for UK naval design, took part in the design challenge.
Twenty fledgling experts, aged 16 to 34, took part in the challenge, which asked participants to imagine what a submarine might look like in 2051.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: 'The UK's brightest and most talented young engineers and scientists came up with the designs after being challenged by the Royal Navy to imagine what a future submarine would look like and how it would be used to keep Britain safe in decades to come.'
The project, named Nautilus 100, was set up to mark the 100th anniversary of the launch of the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine.
It was decided Nautilus 100 would be a mothership that is capable of deploying and commanding an army of unmanned vessels.A 3D printer would be used to construct the hull and using materials that can withstand pressures of up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).
The hull would be made from scale-like material to reduce noise, making it harder for enemy sonar to detect.
The mothership would be able to launch eel-like drone vessels (pictured) equipped with sensor pods which dissolve on demand to avoid enemy detection
Fish-shaped torpedoes (pictured) could be sent from the mothership to swarm against enemy targets
These torpedoes (pictured) can damage an enemy vessels - and can even shoot out of the water if required
With hybrid algae-electric cruising power and propulsion technologies including tunnel drives, the submarines (pictured) would work similarly to a Dyson bladeless fan
The craft would only need to be manned by 20 people, a sixth of the average crew size today, and they would be able to use their minds to control it.
Describing the designs, the spokesman said: 'The whale shark/manta ray-shaped mothership would be built from super-strong alloys and acrylics, with surfaces which can morph in shape.
'With hybrid algae-electric cruising power and propulsion technologies including tunnel drives which work similarly to a Dyson bladeless fan, the submarine could travel at unprecedented speeds of up to 150 knots.
The futuristic submarines (pictured) could travel at unprecedented speeds of up to 150 knots
The craft would only need to be manned by 20 people, a sixth of the average crew size today, and they would be able to use their minds to control it
This series of futuristic submarine designs which mimic real marine lifeforms and have been created for a Royal Navy project
Twenty fledgling experts, aged 16 to 34, took part in the challenge, which asked participants to imagine what a submarine might look like in 2051
This mothership would be capable of launching unmanned underwater vehicles shaped like eels (pictured)
These unmanned eel-shaped vehicles would carry pods packed with sensors for different missions
'This mothership would be capable of launching unmanned underwater vehicles shaped like eels, which carry pods packed with sensors for different missions.
'These pods can damage an enemy vessel, or dissolve on demand at the end of an operation to evade detection.'
Rear Admiral Tim Hodgson, the Ministry of Defence's director of submarine capability, added: 'We want to encourage our engineers of the future to be bold, think radically and push boundaries.
'Hopefully this project has inspired the next generation of British scientists to be bold in their ambitions and I congratulate them for their inspiring work.'
Pictured is a Flying Fish Swarm Drone. The project, named Nautilus 100, was set up to mark the 100th anniversary of the launch of the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine
It was decided Nautilus 100 would be a mothership (pictured) that is capable of deploying and commanding an army of unmanned vessels
A 3D printer would be used to construct the hull and using materials that can withstand pressures of up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft)
The hull would be made from scale-like material to reduce noise, making it harder for enemy sonar to detect. The main craft would only need to be manned by 20 people, a sixth of the average crew size today, and they would be able to use their minds to control it
Pictured is one of the flying fish drones. Rear Admiral Tim Hodgson, the Ministry of Defence's director of submarine capability said; 'We want to encourage our engineers of the future to be bold, think radically and push boundaries
'Hopefully this project has inspired the next generation of British scientists to be bold in their ambitions and I congratulate them for their inspiring work', said Admiral Hodgson. Pictured are potential flying fish drones
Describing the designs, the spokesman said: 'The whale shark/manta ray-shaped mothership would be built from super-strong alloys and acrylics, with surfaces which can morph in shape'
No comments:
Post a Comment