Straight out of a Sci-Fi movie, the Lockheed Martin Cormorant is hands down the coolest idea for a UAV that I have ever seen. I had come across the video below a while ago but hadn't posted it because I couldn't find a suitable version to embed until now. Known as a MPUAV (Multi-Purpose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) the Cormorant is being designed to launch from 150 underwater on the back of a Trident ballistic missile submarine. Once it reaches the surface booster rockets carry it to a height and speed where the internal jet engine can take over. It can then cruise stealthily and autonomously over enemy territory to engage targets or collect intelligence before landing back in the water where it will be collected by an underwater drone and reeled back into a launch tube. Lockheed Martin sees this as a perfect fit for the US Navy who needs ideas on what to do with some of their Ohio-Class nuclear subs after the signing of Start II, the second strategic weapons reduction treaty. The Cormorant is science-fiction meets science-fact at its greatest. Two divisions within Lockheed Martin are working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to fulfill my fantasy of seeing the Cormorant get off the ground get out of the water.
[Lockheed Martin via Gizmodo]
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