Imagine an F-117 Stealth, but underwater: a sort of armored, hyper-fast, 11-seater 'manta ray' that skitters beneath the surface of the water. Ladies and gentlemen, here is Kronos. A beast that flies underwater with its 1200 horsepower.
How do you say? Have you seen the photo and does it look like a render, or a fictional object? The team of Highland Systems had already given this sensation with its Storm amphibious vehicle. A lot of skepticism, even some mockery, but then the company brought a prototype of this little monster to the HIREX fair in Abu Dhabi and everyone was left wide-eyed: seeing is believing.
A manta ray that flies to the bottom
It is evident that Kronos was not designed for tourism or luxury purposes, given the lack of interiors and windows. I am sure it will be employed in a mix of commercial, military and presumably rescue operations.
Just over 9 meters (29,6 feet) long, this armored 'manta ray' will weigh around 10.000 kg (22.000 pounds). Its large wings will fold upwards, allowing it to be towed on a trailer, causing accidents as it passes due to excessive curiosity.
Once in the water, it can accommodate 10 passengers plus a pilot.
Some data
The hybrid powertrain consists of a diesel generator with a 1.200 horsepower, 2.400 Nm electric motor that drives a waterjet propulsion system. It can dive to a working depth of 100 m (328 ft) or a maximum critical depth of 250 m (820 ft), which is reasonable in the context of things. For approximately 36 hours of "flight", even the supply of batteries (and oxygen) of this 'manta' is not bad at all. By turning on the diesel generator the total autonomy can reach up to 54 hours. Impressive.
Side Notes: adaptive lighting, automated life support system and air conditioning, and (so I think I can see from the boat's diagrams) a robust predisposition for torpedoes.
In short (Italian only)
The appearance of the weapons under construction increasingly resembles those we saw around in science fiction films, and this is not exactly good news.
I only hope that in the end the major applications will be for non-military purposes: perhaps "banks" of these devices could beat the craters of underwater volcanoes to study them as possible energy sources, or who knows what else.
Too optimistic, huh?
