Soviet flying submarine. Flying submarine (20 photos) Engine under the hood

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 flying submarine project. 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 covered 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 to ensure 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;

Hangar on I-400

Seaplane Seiran M6A1, based on Japanese submarine aircraft carriers of the I-400 type

The Japanese navy of World War II had large submarines capable of transporting up to several light seaplanes (similar submarines were also built in France). The planes were stored folded in a special hangar inside the submarine. The takeoff was carried out in the surface position of the boat, after the aircraft was taken out of the hangar and assembled. On the deck in the bow of the submarine there were special short launch catapult skids, from which the plane rose into the sky. After completing the flight, the plane splashed down and was removed back to the boat hangar.

In September of the year, a Yokosuka E14Y aircraft, taking off from the I-25 boat, raided the territory of Oregon (USA), dropping two 76-kilogram incendiary bombs, which were supposed to cause extensive fires in forests, which, however, did not occur and the effect was negligible. But the attack had a great psychological effect, since the method of attack was not known [ ] . This was the only time the continental US was bombed during the entire war.

Japan

1. Project J-1M - “I-5” (1 reconnaissance seaplane, launch from water)
2. Project J-2 - “I-6” (1 reconnaissance seaplane, launched from a catapult)
3. Project J-3 - “I-7”, “I-8” (-//-)
4. project 29 type “B” - 20 pieces (-//-)
5. ... type “B-2” - 6 pcs (-//-)
6. ... type “B-3” - 3 pieces (the boats had hangars, but never carried aircraft - they were converted to “Kaiten”)
7. Project A-1 - 3 pieces (1 reconnaissance seaplane, launched from a catapult)
8. Type I-400 - 3 pieces (3 Aichi M6A Seiran seaplanes)
9. Type "AM" - 4 pieces (2 seaplanes of the Seiran bomber) 2 not completed.

The last two types were intended for attacks on the Panama Locks, but there is no information about their combat use as aircraft carriers.

Great Britain

After the loss of the heavily armed boat HMS M1 (English) and restrictions on submarine armament introduced by the Washington Naval Agreement in 1922, the remaining M-class submarines were converted for other purposes. The HMS boat M2 was equipped with a waterproof hangar and a steam catapult and was adapted for take-off and landing of small seaplanes. The submarine and its aircraft could be used for reconnaissance purposes in the vanguard of the fleet. The M2 sank near Portland and the British Navy abandoned submarine aircraft carriers.

France

The submarine Surcouf, built in 1930, died in 1942. It was equipped with a light seaplane in the hangar for reconnaissance service and fire adjustment of the submarine's main caliber - 203 mm guns.

USSR

In 1937, at TsKB-18, under the leadership of B. M. Malinin, the development of submarines of the XIV bis series (project 41a) was carried out, which were planned to be equipped with the Hydro-1 seaplane (SPL, Aircraft for the Submarine), developed at OKB N.V. Chetverikov in 1935. The hangar on the boat was designed to be 2.5 meters in diameter and 7.5 meters in length. The plane had a flight weight of 800 kg and a speed of up to 183 km/h. Preparing the aircraft for flight should have taken about 5 minutes, folding after the flight - about 4 minutes. The project was not implemented.

Present tense

In modern submarine shipbuilding, underwater aircraft are not used. In the USSR, a project was developed for the Ka-56 Osa reconnaissance helicopter, adapted for transportation in a torpedo tube. The project did not go into production due to the lack of suitable rotary engines in the USSR.

In the United States, UAVs are being developed for submarines, in particular the Ohio-class strategic missile carriers being withdrawn from combat service, which have 24 missile silos with a diameter of 2.4 m each.

More than a third of all losses of the Third Reich's submarine fleet in World War II were due to air attacks. PWhen enemy aircraft appeared, the boat had to urgently dive and wait out the danger in the depths. If there was no time left to dive, the submarine was forced to take on a battle, the outcome of which, however, was not always predetermined. An example is the incident in the Atlantic on January 6, 1944, when, northeast of the Azores, the submarine U 270 was attacked by a very unusual submarine hunter.

The struggle of two elements

During World War II, anti-submarine aircraft became the most dangerous enemy for German submarines. According to the famous German historian Axel Niestlé, during the “Battle of the Atlantic”, out of 717 combat German submarines lost at sea, the Allied anti-aircraft aviation accounted for 245 sunk submarines. It is believed that 205 of them were destroyed by shore-based aircraft, and the remaining 40 were attributed to carrier-based aircraft. Death from air strikes ranks first on the list of causes of losses for the German submarine fleet, while PLO ships sank only 236 submarines. Another 42 submarines were sunk to the bottom through the joint efforts of ships and aircraft.

A common sight in the Atlantic during war is a submarine attacked by an aircraft. In the photo, U 118 is under fire from the Avengers from the aircraft carrier Baugh on June 12, 1943 - on this day the boat will be sunk by them

However, hunting German submarines from the air was not easy or safe, and the Allies lost more than 100 aircraft during the war in such attacks. The Germans, quickly realizing the threat of Allied air attacks, constantly improved the protection of their submarine ships, strengthening anti-aircraft artillery and installing detection and direction finding equipment for aircraft using radar.

Of course, the most reliable way for a submarine to survive a meeting with an aircraft was to evade combat. At the slightest threat of attack from the air, the boat had to urgently dive and wait out the danger at depth. If there was no time left to dive, the submarine was forced to take on a battle, the outcome of which, however, was not always predetermined. An example is the incident in the Atlantic on January 6, 1944, when, northeast of the Azores, the submarine U 270 was attacked by a very unusual submarine hunter.

Preparing the Fortress Mk.IIA bomber of the Royal Air Force Coastal Command for departure. Noteworthy is the memorable late version of camouflage, characteristic of Coastal Command aircraft - with camouflaged upper surfaces, the side and lower surfaces were painted white

In the summer of 1942, the British received 64 four-engine Boeing B-17s under Lend-Lease. Having had negative experience using the Flying Fortresses over Europe as a daylight bomber (20 early B-17Cs reached the UK back in 1941), they immediately assigned the new machines to RAF Coastal Command. It should be noted that in the UK, all American aircraft had their own designations, and by analogy with the B-17C, called Fortress Mk.I, the newly received 19 B-17F and 45 B-17E received the names Fortress Mk.II and Fortress Mk.IIA, respectively . In January 1944, both British Fortress squadrons, 206 and 220, were consolidated into 247 Coastal Air Group and were based at Lagens airfield on the island of Terceira in the Azores archipelago.

"Seven" vs. "Fortress"

After the disbandment of the German Borkum group (17 units) operating against allied convoys in the North Atlantic, three boats from its composition were to form one of the small groups called Borkum-1. It also included the above-mentioned U 270 of Oberleutnant zur See Paul-Friedrich Otto. The boats of the new group were supposed to take a position northwest of the Azores, but this particular area was within the operational area of ​​the 247th Air Group.

Bombers from Coastal Command's 247th Air Group are scattered across an airfield in the Azores.

On the afternoon of January 6 at 14:47, the Fortress with tail code “U” (serial number FA705) of Flight Lieutenant Anthony James Pinhorn from the 206th Squadron took off to search for and destroy enemy submarines. The plane did not return to base. The last message from him came at 18:16, after which the crew no longer contacted us. What happened to him? Entries from the surviving combat log of U 270 can tell about this.

On the evening of January 6, at 19:05, an airplane was spotted from a boat on the surface at a distance of 7,000 meters; the Vantse and Naxos electronic intelligence stations did not warn of its approach. The alarm was declared and anti-aircraft guns were prepared for battle. A few minutes later, the plane passed over the boat from the stern, but did not drop bombs, only firing at it from the tail turret. The shots from the “Fortress” did not harm U 270, which fired barrage from anti-aircraft guns. The plane repeated the approach, firing from machine guns, but again the bombs were not dropped. This time the aim was more accurate - the boat received several holes in the wheelhouse, its anti-aircraft gunners hesitated, and the plane avoided being hit.

U 270 crew officers on the bridge. In a white cap is the commander of the boat, Oberleutnant zur See Paul-Friedrich Otto. Visible on the horizon is an 85-meter-high monument to the memory of German sailors who died in the First World War, installed on the coast in Laboe (outskirts of Kiel)

Five minutes later, the “Fortress” attacked the “seven” for the third time from the stern. This time the “flaks” opened barrage fire in time, but the plane stubbornly walked straight towards the anti-aircraft guns. This was not in vain for him - the Germans managed to hit the right plane, and the engine closest to the fuselage caught fire. While passing over the boat, the plane dropped four depth charges set at shallow depth. The Seven made a sharp turn to port, and the bombs exploded approximately 30 meters from the bow of the boat. After a short period of time, the British plane, engulfed in flames, fell about 300 meters from U 270. The Germans did not find anyone at the crash site - the entire crew of the “Fortress” was killed. For this reason, the description of the battle exists only from the German side.

Recklessness vs recklessness?

The crew of the submarine acted harmoniously and courageously in a difficult situation; competent actions in controlling the boat and conducting anti-aircraft fire helped the Germans not only survive, but also destroy a dangerous enemy. However, despite the fact that the winners are not judged, it can be said that the commander’s decision not to dive was wrong, since at least 6 minutes passed from the moment the plane was discovered until its first attack. The boat emerged victorious from the battle, but received serious damage from bomb explosions and machine-gun fire and was forced to interrupt the voyage and return to base. One way or another, the crew of the British aircraft completed their main combat mission - albeit at such a high cost.

The famous German submariner Heinz Schaffer, in his memoirs, mentioned the tactics chosen by the commander of the U 445 boat on which he served when meeting with the plane:

“To increase readiness to repel aircraft raids, a siren was installed on the boat. It was turned on using a button located on the bridge next to the bell button. The decision on which signal to give - a bell to announce an emergency dive or a siren to announce an air raid raid - was made by the watch officer. A right or wrong decision meant a choice between life and death.

When an enemy aircraft could be detected in a timely manner, that is, at a distance of over four thousand meters, an urgent dive signal had to be given. The boat managed to dive to a depth of fifty meters before the plane approached the dive point and dropped bombs. If the top watch detected the plane at shorter distances, the attempt to dive almost inevitably led to the death of the boat.

The pilot of the aircraft, without being exposed to fire, could descend to a minimum altitude and carry out precise bombing at the stern of the boat, which was still on the surface or at a shallow depth. Therefore, if the aircraft was detected late, it was necessary to take the fight while remaining on the surface. In the zone of enemy air dominance, after the first plane that discovered the boat, reinforcements arrived, and attacks followed one after another. For this reason, there has always been a great temptation to avoid combat with aircraft by urgently diving, even in risky cases.”

If we rely on this tactic, then the commander of U 270, Paul-Friedrich Otto, had more time than the commander of U 445 left himself for a safe dive, but decided to take the fight. Probably, the commander of U 270 was confident in himself and his crew to take such a risk - perhaps completely unfounded. The boat paid for the victory over the British “Fortress” with serious damage to all bow torpedo tubes and the bow main ballast tank. On the way back to the base, she did not give more than 10 knots under diesel engines and upon arrival in Saint-Nazaire she was docked for two months of repairs.

The boat's anti-aircraft artillery is ready to fire. Two pairs of 20-mm anti-aircraft machine guns and a 37-mm gun are visible

A few words about the crew of the deceased bomber. There is no doubt that the long-range American bombers B-17 and B-24, supplied to the British, had good survivability, but they also had disadvantages that were fundamental for battles with submarines bristling with anti-aircraft guns. During the attack, the heavy bomber did not have sufficient maneuverability and was a good target for anti-aircraft gunners. If the boat could, with its maneuvers, bring the plane under its guns, then it was met with a barrage of lead - the pilots had to have enough courage to head straight for the anti-aircraft guns. There is a known case when a boat, attacked by two Liberators at once, held out against them for two hours. They even fired at the planes from a 105-mm deck gun, preventing them from accurately approaching the target and dropping bombs. It seems that in this case the pilots simply did not dare to climb directly onto the anti-aircraft gun barrels, but the crew of the “Fortress” that died in the battle with the U 270 turned out to be not timid. Three visits directly to the stern of the boat, where one or two pairs of 20-mm anti-aircraft guns and one 37-mm anti-aircraft gun were installed in the “winter garden”, can be called a feat.

The question remains why the British crew did not drop bombs on the first approach to the Otto submarine. Perhaps the reason was a malfunction of the bomb bays, but one cannot exclude the fact that Flight Lieutenant Pinhorn wanted to suppress enemy anti-aircraft points with machine-gun fire, and then drop bombs freely. However, the fire from the B-17 machine guns was ineffective - the boat did not suffer any casualties in the crew. Probably, dropping bombs in the first rounds could have been more effective, but, alas, history does not know the subjunctive mood.

Ground personnel from 53 Squadron Coastal Command unload 250kg depth charges before attaching them to the Liberator. This is exactly the aircraft that fell victim to the U 270 anti-aircraft gunners on the night of June 13-14, 1944

In conclusion, I would like to mention that the entire “Fortresses” of the Royal Air Force Coastal Command scored 10 victories over German submarines, and they sank another submarine together with other types of aircraft. Already in April of the same 1944, the 206th squadron was re-equipped with the Liberators, which were more common in the Coastal Command, which had an advantage over the Fortresses in flight duration and bomb load.

As for the fate of U 270, on her next trip she scored another victory over the aircraft. This happened on the night of June 13-14, 1944 in the Bay of Biscay, when the boat's anti-aircraft gunners shot down the Liberator of the 53rd Squadron of the Royal Air Force, squadron leader John William Carmichael. U 270 found its destruction on August 13, 1944. The submarine was attacked by a Sunderland flying boat from the 461st Australian Squadron while it was evacuating people from Lorient and had 81 people on board including the crew. Lieutenant Commander Otto survived the death of his boat, as he had previously gone to Germany to receive the new “electric boat” U 2525. According to the authoritative website uboat.net, he may be alive to this day.

A painting by British artist John Hamilton depicts an attack by an anti-submarine Sunderland. The 461st Australian Squadron sank 6 German submarines using these vehicles.

1. pilot Flight Lieutenant Anthony James Pinhorn
2. co-pilot Flight Officer Joseph Henry Duncan
3. Navigator Flight Sergeant Thomas Eckersley
4. Flight Officer Francis Dennis Roberts
5. Warrant Officer Ronald Norman Stares
6. Warrant Officer 1st Class Donald Luther Heard
7. Warrant Officer 1st Class Oliver Ambrose Keddy
8. Sergeant Robert Fabian
9. squadron navigator, Flight Lieutenant Ralph Brown (was not part of the crew).

List of sources and literature:

1. NARA T1022 (captured documents of the German Navy)
2. Franks N. Search, Find and Kill – Grub Street the Basemenе, 1995
3. Franks N. Zimmerman E. U-Boat Versus Aircraft: The Dramatic Story Behind U-Boat Claims in Gun Action with Aircraft in World War II – Grub Street, 1998
4. Ritschel H. Kurzfassung Kriegstagesbuecher Deutscher U-Boote 1939–1945, Band 6. Norderstedt
5. Busch R., Roll H.-J. German U-boat Commanders of World War II – Annopolis: Naval Institute Press, 1999
6. Wynn K. U-Boat Operations of the Second World War. Vol.1–2 – Annopolis: Naval Institute Press, 1998
7. Blair S. Hitler's U-boat War. The Hunted, 1942–1945 – Random House, 1998
8. Niestlé A. German U-Boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction – Frontline Books, 2014
9. Shaffer H. The last campaign of U-977 (translated from German by V.I. Polenina) - St. Petersburg: “Wind Rose”, 2013
10. http://uboatarchive.net
11. http://uboat.net
12. http://www.ubootarchiv.de
13. http://ubootwaffe.net

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Flying submarine

A flying submarine or otherwise a flying submarine (LPL) is a submarine that is capable of both taking off and landing on water, and can also move in airspace. An unrealized Soviet project, the goal of which was to combine the stealth of a submarine and the mobility of an aircraft. In 1938, this project was curtailed before it could come to fruition.

Prerequisites for the emergence of the project.

Even five years before the project, in the early 1930s, there were attempts to combine a submarine with an aircraft, but the result was almost always simply compact, lightweight, folding aircraft that were supposed to fit inside the submarine. But projects of similar LPLs did not exist, because the design of the aircraft excludes the possibility of underwater navigation, and a submarine is also unlikely to fly. But the engineering thought of one outstanding person was able to combine these two characteristic properties in one device.

A brief history of the flying submarine project.

In the mid-30s of the last century, thanks to Stalin's new reforms, it was decided to begin creating a powerful navy with battleships, aircraft carriers and ships of various classes. Many ideas arose for creating technically unusual devices, including the idea for creating a flying submarine.

Ushakov's flying submarine

From 1934 to 1938 The project to create a flying submarine was led by Boris Ushakov. He, while still studying at the Higher Marine Engineering Institute named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky in Leningrad from 1934 to 1937, after graduation, he worked on a project in which he wanted to combine the best characteristics of an aircraft and a submarine.

Plan of Ushakov's submarine aircraft

Ushakov presented a schematic design of a flying submarine back in 1934. His LPL was a three-engine, two-float seaplane equipped with a periscope.

In July 1936, they became interested in his project and Ushakov received a response from the Scientific Research Military Committee (NIVK), which stated that his project was interesting and deserved unconditional implementation: “... It is advisable to continue the development of the project in order to reveal the reality of its implementation through production calculations and laboratory tests...”

In 1937, the project was included in the plan of the NIVK department, but unfortunately, after revision, this project was abandoned. All further work on the flying submarine was carried out by Boris Ushakov, at that time already a military technician of the 1st rank, in his free time.

Application.

What was such an outlandish project intended for? The flying submarine was designed to destroy enemy naval equipment, both on the open sea and in the waters of naval bases, which may be protected by minefields. Low speed under water was not an obstacle, since the boat itself could find the enemy and determine the course of the ship while still in the air. After this, the boat splashed down over the horizon, in order to avoid its premature detection, and sank along the ship’s line of travel.

American submarine aircraft

And until a target appeared within the range of its missiles, the submarine remained at depth in a stationary position, without wasting energy. There were a huge number of advantages in this type of technology, starting with reconnaissance and ending with direct combat, and of course re-attack on the target. And if LPLs are used in groups during combat, then 3 such devices could create a barrier for warships for more than 10 kilometers.

Design.

The design of the flying submarine was very interesting. The boat consisted of six compartments: three of them contained AM-34 aircraft engines, a living compartment, a battery compartment, and a compartment with an electric propeller motor. During the dive, the pilot's cabin was filled with water, and the flight instruments were closed in a sealed shaft. The submarine's hull and floats were to be made of duralumin, the wings were made of steel, and the oil and fuel tanks were made of rubber to prevent damage when submerged under water.

But unfortunately, in 1938 the project was canceled due to “insufficient speed under water.”

Foreign projects.

Of course, there were similar projects in the USA, but much later in 1945 and in the 60s. It was the project of the 60s that was developed and even a model was built that successfully passed tests; it was just an armed drone that was launched from a submarine.

And in 1964, engineer Donald Reid built a boat called

On July 9, 1964, this specimen reached a speed of 100 km/h and made its first dive. But unfortunately this design was too low-power to perform military tasks.