This patent from US navy gives a peek into the future of oceanic warfare. With virtually no bounds and extremely harsh conditions, warfare over and under the ocean is a different ball game altogether.
Now the US navy wants to completely eliminate the possibility of human casualties by using a swarm of hybrid drones capable of floating over ocean and also flying.
Given the vast oceanic space, an army of drones would be deployed to operate collectively go achieve a mission.
The drones would include energy conversion means to tap into natural sources of energy like solar and wind energy. This may charge a battery on board that powers the propellers for motion over the water surface or in air.
These drones would be equipped with sensors that can detect and track submarines, missiles etc. and report back to command stations. They would be capable of tracking under water objects while themselves being in flight. That’s a huge advantage since they can establish highly reliable communication with the command center while in flight.
While such an army of Drones clearly has most impactful application in war, it is also touted to be useful to track marine life like whales and dolphins.
Publication number: US 9321529
Patent Title: Hybrid mobile buoy for persistent surface and underwater exploration
Publication date: 26 Apr 2016
Filing date: 7 Apr 2014
Inventors: Kevin D. Jones; Vladimir N. Dobrokhodov;
Applicant: The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy