Submersible aircraft

Ironically, the only successful flying submarine was Don Reid's amateur-built DFS-1 that first demonstrated its capabilities in 19 June, 1964. It dove to 2 meters, then climbed to 10 meters ASL. It was a ultralight, all metal, full-flooding frame powered by a 65 horsepower airplane engine (mounted on a pylon) and a 1 hp. electric motor that turned a small propeller for water-borne travel. The cockpit was full-flooding and the pilot breathed from an aqualung.
 
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Recently,

The Navy Concluded Transmedium Flying Submersibles Were Possible A Decade Ago​

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...bmersible-vehicles-were-possible-a-decade-ago

In a related matter the Navy is pursuing the following:

The Navy Is Developing "Bio-Inspired" Drones That Transition Between Air And Water​

the U.S. Navy’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget requests contain close to $30 million for developing “Biocentric" or "Bio-Inspired" technologies such as unmanned underwater vehicles that can move, school, blend in with their surroundings, and sense their environments in ways similar to the living creatures that inhabit the seas. Most notably, the research outlined in the Navy's budget documentation includes highly ambitious plans to develop bio-inspired autonomous vehicles that can operate both in air and underwater, and transition seamlessly between the two.
Click to expand...
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...-drones-that-transition-between-air-and-water
 
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Going from underwater to air is easier if the wings and float gear are inflatable. For the opposite, just have a Harriet drop a pod shaped craft for the torp-sized sub
 
Gannet said:
Recently,

The Navy Concluded Transmedium Flying Submersibles Were Possible A Decade Ago​

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...bmersible-vehicles-were-possible-a-decade-ago

In a related matter the Navy is pursuing the following:

The Navy Is Developing "Bio-Inspired" Drones That Transition Between Air And Water​

the U.S. Navy’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget requests contain close to $30 million for developing “Biocentric" or "Bio-Inspired" technologies such as unmanned underwater vehicles that can move, school, blend in with their surroundings, and sense their environments in ways similar to the living creatures that inhabit the seas. Most notably, the research outlined in the Navy's budget documentation includes highly ambitious plans to develop bio-inspired autonomous vehicles that can operate both in air and underwater, and transition seamlessly between the two.
Click to expand...
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...-drones-that-transition-between-air-and-water
Click to expand...

The pdf of the 2010 Naval Surface Warfare Center document:
 

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riggerrob said:
A Swiss group have recently flown a submersible drone.
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I'd expect the dream of a submersible aircraft (manned or unmanned) to disappear with the advent of drones, both aerial and underwater. An expendable underwater drone can be constructed for a tiny fraction of a what a manned submersible aircraft would cost, can be easily deployed and would probably be better suited to most tasks that a submersible aircraft would be used for.
 
taildragger said:
I'd expect the dream of a submersible aircraft (manned or unmanned) to disappear with the advent of drones, both aerial and underwater. An expendable underwater drone can be constructed for a tiny fraction of a what a manned submersible aircraft would cost, can be easily deployed and would probably be better suited to most tasks that a submersible aircraft would be used for.
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You were saying...

https://newatlas.com/drones/tj-flyingfish-aerial-underwater-drone/
 
From, Техника - молодежи 1956-12,

was it a real project ?.
 

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New development in radio control models of submersible aircraft, I think it is modeled on a Soviet design, which a quick scan of this thread showed to be mentioned in this thread.
Posted about 3 hours ago today June 26, 2025,

 
Although it must be said that it was barely a submarine (the pilot had to wear scuba gear) and barely an aircraft.

It's crazy to me that Reid claimed that the the High Density Seaplane developed by Convair for the U.S. Navy (and later the Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missile) stole his design, to the extent that he (unsuccessfully) sued General Dynamics and the U.S. government for patent infringement.
 
Despite its title, French magazine Pilote was NOT an aviation-related title, but a weekly comic book magazine for young people, initially subtitled as "The Magazine for Year 2000 Youngsters", and later as "The magazine of Asterix & Obelix". Although the bulk of the publication consisted in comics, there were also articles, as well as an educational centerfold feature called the "Pilotorama", always presenting spectacular painted depictions of the modern world, technology, etc.

Beside the famous two Gauls (who first appeared in issue #1, published in Sept. 1959), the magazine also marked the first appearance of many iconic characters (such as Valerian and Laureline) and the beginnings of dozens of artists who later became milestones of European comics such as Giraud/Moebius, Fred, Mézières, Tardi, Solé and many, many more. The magazine's sole aviation-related series was Tanguy & Laverdure, which was later made into a popular live action TV series. It was unusual for the magazine to publish an "Aviation Special"... This one featured a very dramatic cover painting by Murtin, depicting a General Dynamics Flying Submarine taking off while another on skims the surface of the sea; it came out early in June 1965, at about the same time as Air Progress's more realistic (but far less colorful!) take on the design.

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QFS-20
 

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