Breakthrough overcomes decades-old problem of how to harness the technology to propel underwater vessels, according to paper.
  • 1984@lemmy.today
    7·
    2 months ago

    Theoretically, the development could allow a submarine to travel faster than the speed of sound without producing the mechanical noise vibration that usually gives away its location, according to the researchers.

    LOL, imagine a submarine traveling at Mach 1 under water… :)

    That’s 1224 km per hour ( or 761 miles per hour)

    • Fermion@mander.xyz
      11·
      2 months ago

      The speed of sound in seawater is around 1500m/s or 5400 km/hr. Something tells me they won’t actually be going supersonic.

      The article shouldn’t be referencing the speed of sound without specifying the medium for the sound waves and conditions such as temperature for water or temperature and pressure for air.

      Also, the supercavitation would be incredibly noisy underwater, and at those speeds the vessel itself would produce a very loud pressure wave that would be easy to detect. So its advantage wouldn’t be in avoiding detection, it would be in moving fast enough that detection doesn’t matter because no torpedo could intercept them.