Underwater plane. "submarine aircraft carriers". Border under lock and key

Submarine aircraft carrier- British submarine aircraft carrier HMS M2 ... Wikipedia

Hydrofoil submarine- Underwater plane Deep Flight 2 before diving (small hydrofoils are visible on the sides) Underwater plane is a small submarine or bathyscaphe with hydrofoils, using them like a penguin, for swimming, not flying. Underwater... ... Wikipedia

Flying submarine- Project LPL Ushakov Flying submarine is an aircraft that combines the ability of a seaplane to take off and land on water and the ability of a submarine to move underwater. Since the requirements... ... Wikipedia

Submarine museums and monuments

P. boat- Russian nuclear submarine of the "Shark" type ("Typhoon") A submarine (submarine, submarine, submarine) a ship capable of diving and operating underwater for a long time. The most important tactical property of a submarine is stealth... Wikipedia

Submarine (class of ship)- Russian nuclear submarine of the "Shark" type ("Typhoon") A submarine (submarine, submarine, submarine) a ship capable of diving and operating underwater for a long time. The most important tactical property of a submarine is stealth... Wikipedia

Submarines- Russian nuclear submarine of the "Shark" type ("Typhoon") A submarine (submarine, submarine, submarine) a ship capable of diving and operating underwater for a long time. The most important tactical property of a submarine is stealth... Wikipedia

Submarine- Russian nuclear submarine of the "Shark" type ("Typhoon") A submarine (submarine, submarine, submarine) a ship capable of diving and operating underwater for a long time. The most important tactical property of a submarine is stealth... Wikipedia

Submarine- This term has other meanings, see Submarine (meanings) ... Wikipedia

Books

• Military equipment, Chukavin A.A.. The book "Military equipment" will tell and show how the missile forces are structured: Topol-M, the command post of the missile regiment, the launching position of silo-based ballistic missiles;... Buy for 256 rubles
• Military technology, Kostrikin P. (ed.). The book “Military Equipment” will tell and show how the missile forces are structured: Topol-M, the command post of the missile regiment, the launching position of silo-based ballistic missiles;…

This book is an attempt to take at least a cursory glance at some of the most original and confusing facts in the field of military history and, if possible, give them our own interpretation. This material should be considered only as a fairly well-founded version of the reasons that made the described events possible. It is up to the readers to decide how plausible these versions are. Another focus of the book is an attempt to bring together some of the most fantastic records set in the military sphere.

Submarine aviation

Submarine aviation

In military history, the statement that not a single bomb fell on the territory of the United States is a kind of axiom. However, this statement is not true. To prove this, let's take a short excursion into the practice of using aviation from... submarines.

The experience of the combat use of the Kaiser's submarines at the beginning of the First World War revealed not only their brilliant qualities, but also a number of serious technical shortcomings. And first of all - the limitations of the review. Indeed, even when the submarine surfaced, only 10-12 miles of water surface was visible from the height of its wheelhouse. This, of course, is very small, especially when operating on ocean communications with single submarines of very large displacement, capable of staying at sea for more than 100 days.

Their autonomy was limited by the supply of torpedoes, so such submarines had strong artillery armament (150 mm), which made it possible to use torpedoes only as a last resort. For example, the world's first submarine of this class - the German U-155 - left Kiel on May 24, 1917, and returned only 105 days later. During the voyage, the boat covered 10,220 miles, of which only 620 were under water, and sank 19 ships (10 of them by artillery), which calmly followed their path without any cover.

The result of this raid, unprecedented in duration, was the forced expansion by the Entente countries of the area where convoys were used. In the report on the results of the campaign, the commander indicated that the main difficulty for the crew was the weeks of waiting for the target, even in areas with fairly busy shipping, due to limited visibility.

And then the designers thought: how to raise the “eyes” of the boat? The answer suggested itself - try to equip the boat with an airplane. He could search for enemy ships, direct a submarine at them, ensure its communication with the squadron or base, remove the wounded, deliver spare parts and even protect the boat from enemy attacks. In general, the aircraft could certainly significantly improve the combat qualities of the submarine. However, the designers faced enormous technical difficulties. It was obvious that only a small floating, and collapsible, airplane was suitable for the submarine. But how to make a hangar on board, how will it affect the characteristics of the boat, especially its buoyancy, where and how to store fuel and supplies for the aircraft? In addition, it was necessary to overcome a psychological barrier: at that time the idea of ​​a boat airplane sounded frankly fantastic, like flying to the moon. In practice, there were only isolated experiments in taking off aircraft from battleships, that is, the largest surface ships. Maybe this is another “fixed idea”? Only experiment could answer these questions.

In 1916, a series of giant submarine cruisers of the U-139-U-145 type, with a displacement of 2483 tons, a length of 92 m and a crew of 62 people, was laid down in Germany. Boat

was armed with two 150-mm guns, six 500-mm torpedo tubes, reached a speed of up to 15.3 knots and could travel 17,800 miles at an 8-knot speed. In the same year, the Hansa Brandenburg company received an order for an aircraft for this “underwater dreadnought”. This order was taken up by the young, but later world-famous designer E. Heinkel. Already at the beginning of 1918, tests began on the W-20, a small collapsible biplane boat with an 80 hp Oberursel engine. However, the car was far from shining with its data: speed of some 118 km/h, flight radius - 40 km, altitude - up to 1000 m, wingspan - 5.8 m, length - 5.9 m. However, for assembly and disassembling the biplane took only 3.5 minutes, and it weighed only 586 kg.

The defeat of the Kaiser's Germany stopped all work on the construction of both submarines and aircraft for them. U-139, which had just entered service, was returned halfway from its first combat campaign and transferred as reparation to the French fleet, where it served safely until 1935.

The chief designer of German submarine cruisers, O. Flam, and a group of his engineers were invited to work in Japan, and American sailors became interested in boat aircraft. They contacted E. Heinkel and ordered two V-1 aircraft from the German Gaspar plant. They were supposed to be stored inside the boat, so the new plane was even smaller than the W-20: weighing 520 kg with a 60 hp engine, which provided a speed of 140 km/h. These experimental machines were never found in practical use, and in 1923 one of them was sold to Japan.

A year later, the Americans themselves built a similar aircraft - the Martin MS-1 - for the ocean-going submarine cruiser Argonaut, which entered service in 1925. In fact, the Americans simply improved the design of the captured U-139 without changing anything in principle. The ultra-light seaplane weighing 490 kg reached a speed of 166 km/h, but its assembly and preparation for flight took 4 hours, and disassembly even more. The submariners categorically refused such an assistant.

In 1926, another American “underwater” aircraft was ready - the X-2, which could take off from the Argonaut when it occupied a positional position. Pre-launch operations on this aircraft were completed in 15-20 minutes, but the submariners did not like this either: they did not take the aircraft into service and stopped all experiments of this kind. The Americans were finally convinced of the futility of collapsible aircraft and concluded that winged vehicles for submarines should be foldable and stored in a hangar.

The British took the baton in creating hydrofoils. In 1917-1918, the Grand Fleet was replenished with three unusual underwater monitors, boats armed with 12-inch guns taken from old ironclads. According to the Admiralty, these huge submarines with a displacement of 2000 tons were intended to support torpedo attacks and shelling of the coast. They had a length of 90 m, a crew of 65 people and could reach speeds of up to 15 knots. The idea did not pay off, and soon the lead boat M-1 was lost in an accident. They decided to re-equip the M-3

into an underwater minelayer, and the M-2 into an underwater aircraft carrier. The twelve-inch tank was dismantled, and in its place, near the wheelhouse, a light hangar was built, 7 m long, 2.8 m high and 2.5 m wide with a large hermetically sealed end hatch. When immersed in water, the hangar was filled with compressed air so that its walls could withstand the pressure.

The Admiralty offered to create an aircraft for an underwater aircraft carrier to the small company Parnel, which built sports airplanes. And on August 19, 1926, the Peto seaplane with a Lucifer engine with a power of 128 hp took off. Despite the modest dimensions of the vehicle (length - 8.6 m, wingspan - 6.8 m), its cabin accommodated two people - a pilot and an observer. After testing, a more powerful engine (185 hp) was installed on the second copy of “Peto” and the speed increased to 185 km/h. With its previous dimensions, the weight was 886 kg, and the flight altitude reached 3200 m. It was this machine, which earned high praise, that was accepted into service. True, tests that began in 1927 showed the very low efficiency of the system due to the very long time spent on takeoff, since the one initially removed from the Peto-2 was launched into the water using a rotary crane, and it ran up and took off on its own. Then a pneumatic catapult was installed on the boat, which instantly threw the plane into the sky. All this made it possible to reduce the take-off time to a quite acceptable 5 minutes. The experiment was considered successful and they began to think about its wider implementation...

On January 26, 1932, the M-2 submarine sank in the English Channel along with the Peto aircraft and the entire crew. When British divers descended to the scene of the disaster, they discovered that the hangar hatch was open. This tragic incident dealt a fatal blow to British submarine aviation.

The command of the Italian fleet also decided to acquire an underwater aircraft carrier. In 1928, a sealed hangar was built on the deck of the cruising boat Ettore Fierramosca, and by the following year the Macchi company built a small single-seat collapsible seaplane M-53 with a Citrus engine with an 80 hp power. Despite good flight test results, the program was unexpectedly closed. It turned out that the modernized boat did not want to dive with an airplane on board, since the spacious hangar had too much buoyancy.

The French were doing more successfully. In 1929, they launched the giant submarine cruiser Surcouf with a displacement of 4,300 tons and a length of 119.6 m. The boat was intended to guard Atlantic convoys and was supposed to engage in artillery combat with any raider such as an auxiliary cruiser, and attack warships with torpedoes. Therefore, the armament of the French submarine had no more analogues: it was equipped with armor, 203-mm turret guns, four 37-mm machine guns and 12 torpedo tubes (four internal bow and four twin external ones). To detect enemy raiders in a timely manner, the boat was equipped with a small reconnaissance seaplane. The crew of this giant submarine consisted of 150 people. The highest speed reached 18 knots.

The aircraft hangar, 7 m long and 2 m in diameter, was located on the deck behind the wheelhouse. After the boat surfaced, the plane was brought to the stern, assembled, the engine was started, and the hatch to the hangar was battened down. The boat took a positional position (sank), the water washed away the plane, and the pilot began his takeoff run. At first, the Besson MV-5 with a 120-horsepower engine was based at Surcouf. The plane weighed 765 kg, developed a speed of 163 km/h and could rise to a height of 4200 m. The length of the machine was 7 m, the wingspan was 9.8 m. In 1933, it was replaced by a more advanced two-seater aircraft, the Besson MV-411, with the same motor. The weight of the car reached 1050 kg, length - 8 m, and wingspan - 11.9 m, but the technical characteristics were quite high: speed - 185 km/h; flight altitude - 1000 m, range - 650 km, and most importantly - assembly and disassembly took less than 4 minutes.

"Surcouf" served successfully until 1940. After the defeat of France, the boat went to England, where its crew joined the forces led by Charles de Gaulle. MV-411 flew several times for reconnaissance, but in 1941 it was seriously damaged and was no longer used. And on February 18, 1942, the Surcouf itself died in the Caribbean Sea - while guarding a convoy, it was rammed by a transport under its charge. There were no rescued...

In the Soviet Union, the famous creator of seaplanes, I. V. Chetverikov, began developing hydrofoils in the early 30s. For the K-series cruising boats, he proposed an aircraft that took up extremely little space and was called SIL. Representatives of the fleet liked the idea, and in 1933, construction began on the first version of the amphibian, which tested the design and ensured its stability on water and in the air.

At the end of 1934, the SPL was made, transported to Sevastopol, and naval pilot A.V. Krzhizhenovsky conducted tests. According to its design, the SPL was a two-seater flying boat with a free-supporting wing, above which was an M-11 engine with a pulling propeller. The tail, stabilizer and two fins were mounted on a special frame. The structure was made of wood, plywood, canvas and welded steel pipes. The empty weight of the aircraft was only 590 kg, and the take-off weight did not exceed 875 kg with two crew members. But the main advantage of the machine was the ability to quickly assemble and disassemble it. All this took less than 3 minutes. Assembly was carried out in reverse order in 3-4 minutes. At the same time, for joining the units, not traditional nuts and bolts were used, but quick-release pins.

After the Nazis came to power, the admirals of the Kriegsmarine remembered the exotic airplane created in 1918 by Heinkel. However, by this time the meter itself was busy with much more serious developments, so the development of the idea was entrusted to the Arado company, which by the beginning of 1940 built a single-seat float reconnaissance hydroplane Ar-231 with a 160 hp engine. The wingspan of this aircraft reached 10.2 m, length -

7.8 m, flight weight - 1050 kg, and it was placed in a hangar with a diameter of only 2 m. The plane picked up speed up to 180 km/h, but its ceiling did not exceed 300 m, but it could stay in the air for 4 hours, flying more than 500 km. It seemed good, but the assembly of the Ar-231 took about 10 minutes, which the sailors considered unacceptable. And then the designers tried to give the submariners another new product.

In 1942, specialists from the Focke-Angelis company came up with the Fa-330A tethered kite-gyroplane - an outwardly fragile structure, weighing 200 kg (including the pilot), consisting of a light frame with an observer’s seat and an instrument panel topped with a three-bladed rotor propeller. The units of the apparatus were stored in two steel cases on the deck of the boat and after 5-7 minutes they were turned into a finished product by three assemblers. The reverse procedure took only 2 minutes.

To launch this structure, the boat gained maximum speed, the propeller-rotor was spun by compressed air, and the kite obediently took off on a leash 150 m long to a height of about 120 m. In order for the non-motorized vehicle to hang in the sky, the submarine had to go at full speed all the time, not changing course, which sharply limited its maneuverability. In addition, the descent from maximum altitude could take more than 10 minutes, which put the submariners in a very dangerous position if an enemy aircraft was detected. And yet, despite these inconveniences, in 1943 the gyroplane was adopted and more than 100 copies were built, most of which were placed on boats in the Indian Ocean.

However, the Japanese have undoubtedly advanced the furthest in the creation of underwater aircraft. Methodically preparing for war on the oceans, Japanese intelligence was interested in all the new developments in the field of the navy and naval aviation. And therefore, it cannot be considered accidental that it was the Japanese who bought the German V-1 from America in 1923. In the mid-20s, Japan began designing huge ocean-going boats equipped with a reconnaissance aircraft. The six Yun-sen 1M class submarines that entered service in 1931-1932 had a displacement of 2,920 tons and a range of 14,000 miles; their armament consisted of two 150-mm guns and six torpedo tubes, and the crew numbered 92 people. A cylindrical hangar for a seaplane and a catapult for launching it were installed in the bow.

The aircraft was stored folded, and for its maintenance, access to the hangar was also available in an underwater position. The first Japanese submarine to receive an airplane was the I-5 submarine cruiser. These submarines were built to operate on ocean communications, and aircraft were built for reconnaissance and searching for targets, but events developed in such a way that these crumbs had to be used to solve completely different problems.

On April 18, 1942, several twin-engine aircraft approached Tokyo from the Pacific Ocean. Bombs rained down on the city and fires broke out.

It is clear that this raid was more a political demonstration than a military action. The fact is that long distances and the difficulty of taking off from aircraft carriers for coastal aircraft did not allow them to carry a significant bomb load. But Japan was then at the zenith of its power, and the raid on the capital of the empire was perceived as a slap in the face. The wounded samurai pride demanded revenge, but the country's technical capabilities clearly lagged behind the ambitious plans of its politicians.

On August 15, 1942, the submarine I-25 left the Yokosuka naval base for American shores, carrying an aircraft converted into an ultra-light bomber. A single-engine seaplane of the "ayagumos" type was accepted into the bow deck hangar of the submarine. The small and equally unreliable machine was fired into the air by a catapult and could make three-hour flights at a speed of 165 km/h.

Of course, the two 75-kilogram bombs that the plane could lift did not make it a formidable weapon of attack, and the lack of defensive weapons, the primitiveness of navigation equipment and low flight performance turned the pilot into a close resemblance to a kamikaze. But the command was confident that there would be no shortage of volunteers. The target of the attack, given the complete defenselessness of the "ayagumos", was chosen to be the deserted forests of America. One night, shortly before dawn, the I-25 surfaced off the coast of Oregon and launched its plane into the sky. An hour later the pilot, Captain Fujita, was convinced that he had reached his goal. The land of a formidable enemy, who boasted of his invulnerability, extended under the fabric surfaces of his plane. Fujita pressed the bomb release button and the phosphorus bombs flew down. A few minutes later, two columns of thick smoke rose above the forest, and an hour later, the “ayagumos” splashed down safely at the side of the submarine. On the same day, after sunset, the flight was repeated. However, this time it did not go so well, because on the way back the pilot got lost. Paradoxically, he was saved by the poor technical condition of the I-25: the boat left an oil trail behind itself, and it was along this trail that Fujita found it. The results of the raid were even better than the Japanese themselves expected: two severe fires broke out. The fire destroyed entire villages, killing several people. However, the use of “ayagumos” had to be abandoned: the Japanese understood perfectly well that the fact that Fujita got lost was not an accident. It was an accident that he managed to find the boat. They decided to repeat the raid using more advanced machines.

Since 1938, the Japanese fleet began to receive new boats of the Kaidai I series - powerful submarines with a length of 102 m, a displacement of 2440 tons, armed in addition to one 140-mm cannon and six torpedo tubes with two reconnaissance aircraft. The hangar and catapult stood in front of the wheelhouse. But by this time, the designers had created a two-seat biplane “Watabane-E9DC” with a “Hitahi Temp” engine with a power of 350 hp. and ten-meter wings folding back. Its dimensions were just right for the hangar of the new boat (though only one plane could fit there). The 1250-kilogram E9W1 had good flight characteristics: a maximum speed of 233 km/h, a ceiling of 6750 m. It could stay in the air for more than 5 hours, but the service of this aircraft was short-lived: it was soon replaced by a more advanced monoplane E14W1, created by Yokosuka " The newcomers' baptism of fire occurred on December 7, 1942, when, taking off from the submarines I-9 and I-15, they filmed panoramas of the American base of Pearl Harbor,

had just been hit by Japanese naval aircraft. “Glen” (the bully), as these cars were nicknamed, weighed 1450 kg, the Hitahi Temp engine allowed it to reach speeds of up to 270 km/h and make five-hour flights. The armament consisted of a 7.7 mm turret machine gun, three 50 kg bombs and a full set of navigation equipment. In the absence of a second crew member, the bomb load could be increased to 300 kg.

In September 1942, I-9 and I-15 launched their planes off the coast of Arizona. This time, vehicles with red circles on their planes operated openly, causing quite a stir among ordinary people, who had already become accustomed to the fact that the fighting was taking place somewhere far away. in the other hemisphere. Of course, six 50-kg bombs were a purely symbolic blow, but it somewhat satisfied the samurai’s ambitions.

However, the main thing for the boat planes was reconnaissance: they made several effective reconnaissance flights over the territory of Australia and New Zealand, and the Glen with the I-15 even showed its red circles over Sydney. On May 31, 1942, an I-10 aircraft carried out reconnaissance of Diego Suarez Bay on the island of Madagascar, based on the data from which a successful attack on ships by midget submarines was carried out.

But for Admiral Yamomoto, an ardent admirer of naval aviation, reconnaissance alone was not enough. He planned to deal America a really serious blow - to disable the Panama Canal by bombing its locks. Bringing his plans to life, Japanese shipyards laid down super-submarines of the A1 series with a displacement of 4,750 tons. The lead one, the I-400, was intended for two aircraft, but then the hangar was rebuilt for three bombers. The Japanese succeeded

build three such submarine aircraft carriers, but they did not have time to distinguish themselves in battle: the war was over. And two years earlier, the Aihi company launched the M6A1 for testing - quite

modern bomb carrier "Seyran" ("Mountain Fog"). The car weighed 4925 kg and was equipped with a 1250 hp engine, which allowed it to reach a quite decent speed of 480 km/h. The length of the aircraft is 11.5 m, the wingspan is 12.5 m, the crew is 2 people, the bomb load is from 350 to 850 kg (with a minimum of fuel) or one torpedo. To launch the seaplane into the sky, a 40-meter pneumatic catapult was provided. In general, it was truly a real submarine aircraft carrier, but, fortunately for the Americans, it never got to fight.

Preparations for the raid on Panama began in February 1945 and were carried out with exceptional care. For training, mock-ups of the canal's locks were even built. However, the military situation was deteriorating, and the spectacular, but far from the most urgent, operation was postponed and postponed. Finally, they decided to carry it out, but at the same time solve a number of other problems. On August 25, a strike was planned on the Ulithi Atoll, and then the submarine aircraft carriers were supposed to head to Panama. On August 6, I-400 and I-401 went to sea, and it is difficult to predict how this voyage could end, but on August 16, the order came to surrender and return to base. The Seirans were ordered to be destroyed, and they were simply thrown overboard.

In the 1980s, the United States also put forward proposals to convert the nuclear submarine Helibad into an underwater aircraft carrier. For this purpose, it was planned to install a hangar for two Harrier vertical take-off and landing aircraft. However, so far not a single project of a modern underwater aircraft carrier has been implemented.

The aircraft detects the enemy from the air and delivers a disorienting strike. Then, having moved away from the line of sight, the car lands on the water and in a minute and a half plunges to a depth of several meters. The target is destroyed by an unexpected torpedo strike. In case of a miss, the device rises to the surface in two minutes and takes off to repeat the air attack. A combination of three such vehicles creates an impenetrable barrier for any enemy ship. This is how designer Boris Petrovich Ushakov saw his flying submarine

Editorial Board PM

Flight-tactical characteristics of LPL Crew: 3 people. // Take-off weight: 15,000 kg // Flight speed: 100 (~200) knots. (km/h) // Flight range: 800 km // Ceiling: 2500 m // Number and type of aircraft engines: 3 x AM-34 // Takeoff power: 3 x 1200 hp // Max. add. excitement during takeoff/landing and diving: 4−5 points // Underwater speed: 4−5 knots // Dive depth: 45 m // Cruising range under water: 45 miles // Underwater endurance: 48 hours // Propeller motor power: 10 hp // Dive duration: 1.5 min // Ascent duration: 1.8 min // Armament: 18-in. torpedo: 2 pcs. coaxial machine gun: 2 pcs.

Donald Reid's winged submarine Commander-2 Developed with the participation of the US Navy in 1964, this submarine in the form in which it is depicted in the diagram and drawing never existed in reality.

Aircraft-submarine Conveir, 1964: this project could have become one of the most successful in the development of cruise submarines, if not for the resistance of US Senator Allen Elender, who unexpectedly closed the funding

The unmanned aircraft-submarine The Cormorant, developed by Skunk Works (USA) and tested as a full-size model in 2006. All details about this project are hidden under the heading “top secret”

Of course, such a project could not fail to appear. If there is an amphibious vehicle, why not teach a plane to dive under water? It all started in the 30s. Second-year cadet at the Higher Naval Engineering School named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky (Leningrad) Boris Petrovich Ushakov embodied on paper the idea of ​​a flying submarine (LPL), or, rather, an underwater aircraft.

In 1934, he provided a voluminous folder of drawings along with a report to the department of his university. The project “walked” through the corridors, departments and classrooms of the school for a long time, and was classified as “secret”; Ushakov more than once modified the design of the submarine in accordance with the comments received. In 1935, he received three copyright certificates for various components of his design, and in April 1936 the project was sent for consideration to the Scientific Research Military Committee (NIVK, later TsNIIVK) and at the same time to the Naval Academy. A detailed and generally positive report on Ushakov’s work, prepared by Captain 1st Rank A.P., played a major role. Surin.

Only in 1937, the project was endorsed by the NIVK professor, head of the department of combat tactics, Leonid Egorovich Goncharov: “It is advisable to continue the development of the project in order to reveal the reality of its implementation,” the professor wrote. The document was also studied and approved by the head of the NIVK, military engineer of the 1st rank, Karl Leopoldovich Grigaitis. In 1937-1938, the project nevertheless continued to “walk” along the corridors. Nobody believed in its reality. At first he was included in the work plan of department “B” of the NIVK, where, after graduating from college, Ushakov entered as a military technician of the 1st rank, then he was excluded again, and the young inventor continued his work on his own.

Airplane aquarium

The aircraft-submarine gradually acquired its final appearance and “filling”. Externally, the device looked much more like an airplane than a submarine. An all-metal machine weighing 15 tons with a crew of three people was theoretically supposed to reach speeds of up to 200 km/h and have a flight range of 800 km. Speed ​​under water is 3-4 knots, diving depth is 45 m, swimming range is 5-6 km. The aircraft was to be powered by three 1000-horsepower AM-34 engines designed by Alexander Mikulin. Superchargers allowed the engines to perform short-term boosts with an increase in power up to 1200 hp.

It is worth noting that at that time AM-34s were the most promising aircraft engines produced in the USSR. The design of the 12-cylinder piston power unit largely anticipated the development of aircraft engines from the famous companies Rolls-Royce, Daimler-Benz and Packard - only the technical “closeness” of the USSR prevented Mikulin from gaining worldwide fame.

Inside, the plane had six sealed compartments: three for engines, one for living quarters, one for the battery and one for the 10 hp electric propeller motor. The living compartment was not a pilot's cabin, but was used only for scuba diving. The pilot's cabin flooded during the dive, as did a number of leaky compartments. This made it possible to make part of the fuselage from lightweight materials that were not designed for high pressure. The wings were completely filled with water by gravity through scuppers on the flaps to equalize the internal and external pressure.

The fuel and oil supply systems were turned off shortly before full immersion. At the same time, the pipelines were sealed. The aircraft was covered with anti-corrosion coatings (varnish and paint). The dive took place in four stages: first, the engine compartments were battened down, then the radiator and battery compartments, then the control switched to underwater, and finally, the crew moved into the sealed compartment. The aircraft was armed with two 18-inch torpedoes and two machine guns.

On January 10, 1938, the project was re-examined by the second department of the NIVK. Nevertheless, everyone understood that the project was “crude” and huge amounts of money would be spent on its implementation, and the result could be zero. The years were very dangerous, there were massive repressions, and it was possible to fall under the hot hand even for accidentally dropping a word or using the “wrong” surname. The committee put forward a number of serious comments, expressing doubts about the ability of Ushakov’s plane to take to the skies, catch up with a departing ship under water, etc. To divert attention, it was proposed to make a model and test it in a pool. There are no further mentions of the Soviet aircraft-submarine. Ushakov worked for many years in shipbuilding on ekranoplanes and ships on air wings. All that was left of the flying boat were diagrams and drawings.

Engine under the hood

A project similar to Ushakov’s in the USA appeared many years later. As in the USSR, its author was an enthusiast whose work was considered crazy and unrealizable. A fanatical designer and inventor, electronics engineer Donald Reid has been developing submarines and creating their models since 1954. At some point, he came up with the idea of ​​​​building the world's first flying submarine.

Reid collected a number of models of flying submarines, and when he was convinced of their performance, he began assembling a full-fledged device. To do this, he mainly used parts from decommissioned aircraft. Reid assembled the first copy of the Reid RFS-1 aircraft-submarine by 1961. The aircraft was registered as aircraft number N1740 and was powered by a 65-horsepower 4-cylinder Lycoming aircraft engine. In 1962, the RFS-1 aircraft, piloted by Donald's son Bruce, flew 23 m above the surface of the Shrewsbury River in New Jersey. Immersion experiments could not be carried out due to serious design flaws.

To turn the plane into a submarine, the pilot had to remove the propeller and cover the engine with a rubber cap, working on the principle of a diving bell. An electric motor with a power of 1 hp was located in the tail. (for moving underwater). The cabin was not pressurized - the pilot was forced to use scuba gear.

A number of popular science magazines wrote about Reid's project, and in 1964 the US Navy became interested in it. In the same year, the second copy of the boat was built - Commander-2 (the first received the “military” name Commander-1). On July 9, 1964, the plane reached a speed of 100 km/h and completed its first dive. In the first model of the aircraft, during a dive, the remaining fuel from the tanks was pumped out into a reservoir, and water was pumped into the tanks to make the structure heavier. Thus, RFS-1 could no longer take off again. The second modification was supposed to lose this drawback, but it didn’t come to that, since the entire structure would have to be redesigned. After all, fuel tanks were also used as diving tanks.

However, the design turned out to be too low-power and light to be used for military purposes. Soon the Navy leadership lost interest in the project and curtailed funding. Until his death in 1991, Reid tried to “promote” his project, but was never successful.

In 2004, his son Bruce wrote and published the book "Flying Submarine: The Story of the Invention of Reid's RFS-1 Flying Submarine." The RFS-1 aircraft itself is kept at the Pennsylvania Aviation Museum.

However, some sources claim that Reid's project has progressed. The US Navy decided to build the "Airship" - a twin-fuselage aircraft capable of diving under water. Allegedly, in 1968, at the World Industrial Exhibition, this plane made a spectacular landing on the water, and then dived and surfaced. However, the official program of that year's exhibition (held in San Antonio) did not include a demonstration of the aircraft-submarine. Further traces of this design are lost under the heading "secret".

1960s underwater rock

In April 1945, a man named Houston Harrington suddenly appeared on the horizon, applying for a patent “Combination of Airplane and Submarine.” The patent was received on December 25, but the matter did not go any further. Harrington's submarine looked very beautiful, but nothing is known about its flight data or underwater performance. Harrington subsequently became famous in the United States as the owner of the Atomic-H record label.

Another patent for a similar design was received in the USA in 1956. It was created by the American Donald Doolittle (together with Reid). This design was based not on an airplane, but on a submarine. Movement underwater was traditionally provided by an electric motor, but flight was carried out using two jet engines.

In 1964, Conveir proposed to the US Air Force the development of a small aircraft-submarine. Documents were presented - drawings, diagrams and even some fantastic “photographs”. Conveir received technical specifications from the Bureau of Naval Armaments, which included a speed of 280-420 km/h, a diving depth of 460 m, a flight range of 555-955 km, etc. Despite the clearly inflated requirements, the contract was signed.

The project implemented Reid's idea of ​​​​using fuel tanks as diving tanks, but the fuel was not drained, but entered into other special tanks - to better distribute the load under water. The living compartment and engine compartment were sealed, and the remaining parts of the submarine were filled with water. In the manufacture of the submarine, it was planned to use ultra-light and ultra-strong materials, including titanium. The team consisted of two people. Several models were produced and successfully tested.

The denouement came unexpectedly: in 1966, the famous Senator Allen Elender, head of the Senate Armaments Committee, openly ridiculed the project and ordered the development to be stopped. A full-size sample was never produced.

Border under lock and key

Inventors are in no hurry to create vehicles for the two environments. The main problem is the high difference in density between air and water. While an airplane should be as light as possible, a submarine, on the contrary, tends to be heavier to achieve maximum efficiency. It is necessary to create completely different aerodynamic and hydrodynamic concepts for water and air. For example, the wings that support a plane in the air only get in the way underwater. The strength of the structure also plays a big role and leads to the weight of the airplane boat, since such a unit must withstand very high water pressure.

The Cormorant project, developed by Skunk Works, is an unmanned aerial vehicle powered by two jet engines. "Cormorant" can be launched from special underwater carriers - Ohio-class submarines. The Cormorant's underwater range is very small - only enough to get to the surface, and then, after completing the surface mission, return to the carrier. Underwater, the drone's wings are folded and do not interfere with movement.

The plane's body is made of titanium, there are no voids (they are filled with a foam-like material), and the body geometry resembles a cross between a seagull and a Stealth.

Tests of individual Baklan systems were carried out, its reduced model was tested, as well as a full-scale model, devoid of some structural elements. But since 2007, there has been virtually no information about the development of the Cormorant, probably falling under the classic “top secret” classification.

The concept of a submarine-launched aircraft is as old as naval aviation itself. Back on January 6, 1915, the modified Friedrichshafen seaplane was lowered from the deck of the German submarine U-12. In the fall of 1917, in the same Germany, the Brandenburg was tested, already adapted for storage directly on board a diesel submarine.

Between the end of the First World War and the beginning of the Second, virtually all the leading naval powers seriously considered the possibility of launching aircraft from submarines. But only in Japan this concept has undergone significant changes. This episode even had a title, "Sen Toki". From being an auxiliary means of reconnaissance, airplanes have almost become the main weapon of submarines. The appearance of such an aircraft for a submarine as the Seiran turned out to be actually an element of a strategic weapon, which included a bomber aircraft and a submersible aircraft carrier. The plane was designed to bomb targets that no ordinary bomber could reach. The main bet was made on complete surprise. The idea of ​​a submarine aircraft carrier was born in the minds of the Imperial Japanese Naval Headquarters a few months after the start of the war in the Pacific Ocean. It was supposed to build submarines that were superior to everything created before - specifically for transporting and launching attack aircraft. A flotilla of such diesel submarines would cross the Pacific Ocean, launch their aircraft immediately before the chosen target, and then dive. After the attack, the planes had to go out to meet the underwater aircraft carriers, and then, depending on the weather conditions, the method of herding the crews was chosen. After this, the flotilla plunged under water again. For a greater psychological effect, which was placed above physical damage, the method of delivering the aircraft to the target should not have been disclosed.

Next, the submarines had to either go out to meet supply ships to receive new aircraft, bombs and fuel, or act in the usual way, using torpedo weapons. The program, naturally, developed in an atmosphere of increased secrecy and it is not surprising that the Allies first heard about it only after the surrender of Japan. In early 1942, the Japanese High Command issued an order to shipbuilders for the largest diesel submarines built by anyone until the beginning of the atomic age in shipbuilding. It was planned to build 18 submarines. During the design process, the displacement of such a submarine increased from 4125 to 4738 tons, and the number of aircraft on board from three to four. Now it was up to the plane. The fleet headquarters discussed the issue with the Aichi concern, which, starting in the 20s, built aircraft exclusively for the fleet. The Navy believed that the success of the whole idea depended entirely on the high performance of the aircraft. The aircraft had to combine high speed to avoid interception with a long flight range of 1500 km. But since the aircraft was intended for virtually one-time use, the type of landing gear was not even specified. The diameter of the underwater aircraft carrier's hangar was set at 3.5 m, but the fleet required that the aircraft fit in it without disassembly.

The designers of "Aichi" considered such high requirements a challenge to their talent and accepted them without objection. As a result, on May 15, 1942, requirements appeared for an experimental bomber “for special missions.” The chief designer of the aircraft was Norio Ozaki. The development of the aircraft, which received the corporate designation "AM-24" and the short name "M6A1", progressed smoothly. The aircraft was created for the Atsuta engine - a licensed version of the 12-cylinder liquid-cooled Daimler-Benz DB-601 engine. From the very beginning, the use of detachable floats was envisaged - the only dismantled part of the Seiran. Since the floats significantly reduced the aircraft's flight performance, provision was made for releasing them in the air if such a need arose. In the submarine hangar, accordingly, mountings for two floats were provided. At the end of autumn 1944, the Imperial Navy began training Seiran pilots; flight and maintenance personnel were carefully selected. On December 15, the 631st Air Corps was created under the command of Captain Totsunoke Ariizumi. The hull was part of the 1st submarine flotilla, which consisted of only two submarines - I-400 and I-401. The flotilla included 10 Seyrans. In May, the submarines I-13 and I-14 joined the flotilla and became involved in the preparation of the Seyran crews. During six weeks of training, the time for releasing three Seirans from a submarine was reduced to 30 minutes, including the installation of floats, although in combat it was planned to launch aircraft without floats from a catapult, which required 14.5 minutes. The initial target of the 1st Flotilla was the Panama Canal locks. Six aircraft were to carry torpedoes, and the remaining four were to carry bombs. Two aircraft were assigned to attack each target. The flotilla was supposed to set off along the same route as Nagumo's squadron during the attack on Pearl Harbor three and a half years earlier. But it soon became clear that even if successful, such a raid was absolutely pointless to influence the strategic situation in the war. As a result, on June 25, an order was issued to send the 10th submarine flotilla to attack American aircraft carriers on Ulithi Atoll. On August 6, I-400 and I-401 left Ominato, but soon a fire broke out on the flagship due to a short circuit. This forced the start of the operation to be postponed until August 17, two days before which Japan capitulated. But even after this, the headquarters of the Japanese fleet planned to carry out an attack on August 25. However, on August 16, the flotilla received an order to return to Japan, and four days later - to destroy all offensive weapons.

The commander of the flagship diesel submarine I-401, Captain 1st Rank Arizumi, shot himself, and the crew ejected the planes without pilots and without starting the engines. On I-400, the planes acted more simply, and the torpedoes were simply pushed into the water. Thus ended the suicide operation, which involved kamikaze pilots and the latest torpedo bombers based on the world's largest submarines. Even in this case, along with the use of the most advanced and modern weapons, Japanese engineering and military thought could not do without the help of kamikazes. All this once again testifies to the adventurism of the top military leadership, fixated on the use of suicide bombers, relying on the “Japanese spirit” and developing the most incredible systems in the hope of a miracle.

All “submarine aircraft carriers” were delivered for study to the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), but already in May 1946 they were taken to sea, shot at by torpedoes and sunk due to the fact that Russian scientists demanded access to them.”
In March 2005, an underwater expedition from the University of Hawaii discovered the sunken Japanese submarine "I-401" on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near the Hawaiian island of Oahu. John Wiltshire, acting director of the Underwater Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii, said the remains of the I-401 submarine, which had broken into two parts, were found at a depth of 820 meters and visually examined using a submersible. It was decided to convert "I-402" into an underwater vessel. Construction was stopped in March 1945 at 90% completion.

Technical characteristics of the underwater aircraft carrier:
Length - 120 m;

Width - 12 m;
Displacement - 6550 tons;
Power reserve - 3500 miles;
Immersion depth - 100 m;
Power plant - diesel;
Speed ​​- 18 knots;
Crew - 144;
Weapons:
Gun 140 mm -1;
Gun 25 mm -3;
Torpedo tubes - 8;
Airplanes - 3

In the USSR, on the eve of the Second World War, a project for a flying submarine was proposed - a project that was never realized.

From 1934 to 1938 The flying submarine project was led by Boris Ushakov. The flying submarine was a three-engine, two-float seaplane equipped with a periscope. Even while studying at the Higher Marine Engineering Institute named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky in Leningrad (now the Naval Engineering Institute), from 1934 until his graduation in 1937, student Boris Ushakov worked on a project in which the capabilities of a seaplane were supplemented capabilities of the submarine. The invention was based on a seaplane capable of diving under water.
In 1934, a cadet at VMIU named after. Dzerzhinsky B.P. Ushakov presented a schematic design of a flying submarine, which was subsequently redesigned and presented in several versions to determine the stability and loads on the structural elements of the device.
In April 1936, a review by Captain 1st Rank Surin indicated that Ushakov’s idea was interesting and deserved unconditional implementation. A few months later, in July, the semi-dramatic design of the LPL was considered by the Scientific Research Military Committee (NIVK) and received a generally positive review, containing three additional points, one of which read: “... It is advisable to continue the development of the project in order to identify the reality of its implementation by making the appropriate calculations and the necessary laboratory tests...” Among those who signed the document were the head of the NIVK, military engineer 1st rank Grigaitis, and the head of the department of combat tactics, flagship 2nd rank Professor Goncharov.
In 1937, the topic was included in the plan of department “B” of the NIVK, but after its revision, which was very typical for that time, it was abandoned. All further development was carried out by the engineer of department “B”, military technician 1st rank B.P. Ushakov, during off-duty hours.
Soviet project of a flying submarine. Soviet flying project 2
On January 10, 1938, in the 2nd department of the NIVK, a review of the sketches and main tactical and technical elements of a flying submarine prepared by the author took place. What was the project? The flying submarine was intended to destroy enemy ships on the open sea and in the waters of naval bases protected by minefields and booms. Low underwater speed and limited range under water were not an obstacle, since in the absence of targets in a given square (area of ​​operation), the boat could find the enemy on its own. Having determined its course from the air, it sat below the horizon, which excluded the possibility of its premature detection, and sank along the ship’s path. Until the target appeared at the salvo point, the flying submarine remained at depth in a stabilized position, without wasting energy by unnecessary moves.


If the enemy deviated within an acceptable range from the course line, the flying submarine approached him, and if the target deviated too much, the boat missed it beyond the horizon, then surfaced, took off, and again prepared to attack.
A possible repeat approach to a target was considered one of the significant advantages of an underwater torpedo bomber over traditional submarines. The action of flying submarines in a group should have been especially effective, since theoretically three such devices would create an impenetrable barrier up to nine miles wide in the enemy’s path. A flying submarine could penetrate enemy harbors and ports at night, dive, and during the day carry out surveillance, take bearings of secret fairways, and attack when the opportunity arises. The design of the flying submarine included six autonomous compartments, three of which housed AM-34 aircraft engines with a power of 1000 hp each. With. every. They were equipped with superchargers that allowed boosting up to 1200 hp during takeoff. With. The fourth compartment was residential, designed for a team of three people. From it the ship was controlled under water. The fifth compartment contained a battery, and the sixth compartment contained a 10-horsepower electric propulsion motor. With. The durable hull of the flying submarine was a cylindrical riveted structure with a diameter of 1.4 m and made of 6 mm thick duralumin. In addition to durable compartments, the boat had a lightweight wet-type pilot's cabin, which was filled with water when submerged, while the flight instruments were sealed in a special shaft.
The skin of the wings and tail was supposed to be made of steel, and the floats of duralumin. These structural elements were not designed for increased external pressure, since during immersion they were flooded with sea water that flowed by gravity through scuppers (holes for water drainage). Fuel (gasoline) and oil were stored in special rubber tanks located in the center section. During the dive, the inlet and outlet lines of the water cooling system of the aircraft engines were blocked, which prevented their damage under the influence of seawater pressure. To protect the hull from corrosion, the hull was painted and varnished. Torpedoes were placed under the wing consoles on special holders. The boat's design payload was 44.5% of the vehicle's total flight weight, which was typical for heavy-duty vehicles.


The diving process included four stages: battening down the engine compartments, shutting off the water in the radiators, transferring the controls to underwater, and moving the crew from the cockpit to the living compartment (central control station).”
The submerged motors were covered with metal shields. The flying submarine was supposed to have 6 pressurized compartments in the fuselage and wings. Mikulin AM-34 motors of 1000 hp each were installed in three compartments that were sealed during immersion. With. each (with a turbocharger in takeoff mode up to 1200 hp); the sealed cabin had to contain instruments, a battery and an electric motor. The remaining compartments should be used as tanks filled with ballast water for submersion of a flying submarine. Preparing for the dive should only take a couple of minutes.
The fuselage was supposed to be an all-metal duralumin cylinder with a diameter of 1.4 m and a wall thickness of 6 mm. The pilot's cabin filled with water during the dive. Therefore, all devices were supposed to be installed in a waterproof compartment. The crew had to move to the diving control compartment, located further in the fuselage. The supporting planes and flaps must be made of steel, and the floats must be made of duralumin. These elements were supposed to be filled with water through the valves provided for this in order to equalize the pressure on the wings during diving. Flexible fuel and lubricant tanks must be located in the fuselage. For corrosion protection, the entire aircraft had to be coated with special varnishes and paints. Two 18-inch torpedoes were suspended under the fuselage. The planned combat load was supposed to be 44.5% of the total weight of the aircraft. This is a typical value for heavy aircraft of that time. To fill the tanks with water, the same electric motor was used, which ensured movement under water. In 1938, the research military committee of the Red Army decided to curtail work on the Flying Submarine project due to its insufficient mobility underwater. The resolution stated that after the discovery of the Flying Submarine by the ship, the latter would undoubtedly change course. This will reduce the combat value of the LPL and will most likely lead to mission failure.
Technical characteristics of the flying submarine:
Crew, people: 3;
Take-off weight, kg: 15000;
Flight speed, knots: 100 (~185 km/h);
Flight range, km: 800;
Ceiling, m: 2500;
Aircraft engines: 3xAM-34;
Take-off power, l. pp.: 3x1200;
Maximum additional excitement during takeoff/landing and diving, points: 4-5;
Underwater speed, knots: 2–3;
Immersion depth, m: 45;
Cruising range under water, miles: 5–6;
Underwater endurance, hour: 48;
Rowing motor power, l. p.: 10;
Immersion duration, min: 1.5;