Boeing Patent for a flying drone that can transforme for submarine travel

Boeing has a patent for a Rapid deployment air and water vehicle.

The transformation from flying UAV to submarine travel is one way. The wings mostly break off as it hits the water.

It is more like James Bonds submarine car. There are many fictional flying submarines.

Some other notable fictional flying sub vehicles

* Gerry Anderson series Supercar
* Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
* 2001 Steven Spielberg film A.I. Artificial Intelligence (“Amphibicopter”)
* Inspector Gadget
* Voyage to the bottom of the sea
* and many more

Actual history of flying submarines

In 1961 Donald Reid designed and built a single-seat craft (32.83 ft length) capable of flight and underwater movement, the Reid Flying Submarine 1 (RFS-1). A 65 hp (48 kW) engine mounted on a pylon provided propulsion for flight; a 1 hp electric motor in the tail provided underwater propulsion. The pilot used an aqualung for breathing underwater. The first full-cycle flight [underwater at 6.5 feet (2 m) depth, airborne at 33 ft (10 m) altitude] was demonstrated on 9 June 1964. Reid, his craft, and his son (the test pilot) appeared on the U.S. game show “I’ve Got A Secret” on March 15, 1965.

In 2008, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced that it was preparing to issue contracts for a submersible aircraft.

The Boeing flying-drone sub Patent

A vehicle which is adaptable for both flight and water travel includes: a body; a wing, a stabilizer, or a first propelling member; and at least one attachment member. The body is configured to fly through air and to move through water. The at least one attachment member attaches the wing, the stabilizer, or the first propelling member to the body while the body is in flight. The at least one attachment member detaches at least a portion of the wing, at least a portion of the stabilizer, or at least a portion of the first propelling member from the body when the body is in the water.

Flying Subs in Fiction

AI Amphibicopter

Voyage to the bottom of the sea