Shipbucket

Can any of the submarine savvy bucketeers enlighten me as to how this beast would be of use if it only has an underwater speed of 10kn!
Thanks in advance

As I understand it, it's basically a design exercise with little thought given to utility.

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Yep thought as much.
Wonder how long before someone produces a tv series based on it?

Type VII U-boats have underwater speed of 7.6 knots. Old good Whiskey only 13 knots. Slow speed = quiet. It will be speeding with 36 knots to patrol area, then go to semi-submerged position and waiting for targets. And don't forget, that french ... something is not a submarine.

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Hey Rhade
do you think that is still relevant in todays ASW environment?
Without any hydrodynamics info for the hull form we cant really imagine its signature, but that said, those side mounted azipods must surely have a distinctive signature.
Worse case would be that if it is distinctive then that would be on every remote and active sensor database. Upload the GPS info via iSub to your iPhone and you could tootle along in your runabout over the top of it with a big sign saying French Takeaway!
I reckon the Kiwi's would love it.

Yeah, I still think that extra speed is usless in even modern silent undersea war. Torpedos are faster that any sub and it's better to be quiet and slow ... that fast and noise.

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The thing to consider is that any submarine, by definition, is already a stealth vessel, at least as far as surface detection is concerned. Underwater detection is concerned with noise, not shape, so the SMX-25 has it all backwards. Like Rhade said, it's just a design exercise, though that's not to say concepts from the SMX-25 don't have applications (such as a primarily surface-running ship that can partially submerge to evade detection while deploying forces).

Thanks for that klagldsf
My intirgue with this concept is the underwater hydrodynamic signature, because the shape of it is so radically different from all existing rounded hull designs.
Noise and cavitation are a product of unresolved turbulence hence leaving a trail of noise behind the vessel. Speed yes causes turbulence and slow is silent but shape surely is more important. A sub with a characteristic signature at 10kn is a sure target to a 30kn ASW vessel with 60kn torpedos.
As Thiel wrote, a design exercise, yes, but surely that shape is noisy?

Not necessarily. I think it was DARPA who designed a submarine that used stealth shaping to deflect sonar, much like how the F117 defeated radar.

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Source Materiel is always welcome.

Yeah you right in most cases Rusel. But this "ship" is not design to operate under water like submarine, that design is more like I WW subs. Ships that operate most on surface and sometimes go under. The idea is pretty old, but also interesting concept.

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