Flimmer: A Flying Submarine - Spectra 2014
Flimmer: A Flying Submarine - Spectra 2014
Flimmer: A Flying Submarine - Spectra 2014
Flimmer:
A Flying Submarine
The Flimmer (Flying Swimmer)
program at the Naval
Research Laboratory (NRL) is
merging two research areas
to provide a novel airborne
delivery method for unmanned
underwater vehicles (UUVs).
NRL FEATURES
heavier than required for the desired
depth pressure.
Combining these two diametrically
opposed vehicles to design a flying
submarine comes down to a balancing act between buoyancy, weight,
and structural elements. For a submarine to fly, the enclosed air volume,
which is the main driver of weight for
a submarine, needs to be reduced as
much as possible. For an aircraft to
land on the water, its structural elements need to be more robust to survive the high impact of splashdown.
The Flimmer program adds a further
complication into the design: flapping
fins are used for underwater propulsion. As learned from NRLs WANDA
UUV (see article on page 2), a fourfinned configuration provides high
maneuverability and good stability
underwater. In air, however, the fins
add weight and are relatively fragile
mechanisms that need to be able to
survive the forces of splashdown.
Bringing all these design elements
together is the central challenge of the
Flimmer program.
Test Sub
WINTER 2014
Test Sub maneuvering as a submarine in the Littoral High Bay pool in NRLs
Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research.
The most interesting aspect of running Test Sub in the LASR pool was
that controlling the vehicle in forward
motion underwater was identical to
flying the aircraft. The configuration
of an aircraft shape and traditional
aircraft control surfaces of rudder, elevator, and ailerons functions exactly
the same whether in air or water.
Several test runs showed excellent
controllability and maneuverability of
Test Sub in the water while moving
forward.
Flying WANDA
NRL FEATURES
SPECTRA
NRL FEATURES
WINTER 2014