(ECNS) -- The Autonomous Underwater Helicopter (AUH), a new type of unmanned submersible vehicle independently developed by China, was successfully tested in the South China Sea from August 27 to September 3.
The underwater helicopter successfully dived to a depth exceeding more than 1,000 meters.
The test included take-offs, landings, docking on a submarine apron, 360-degree steering, fixed-point hovering, wireless charging, acoustic navigation and tracking, and other functions.
It proves that the underwater helicopter can be used for seabed mobile observation, seabed resource exploration, seabed area cruising and detection, underwater pipeline monitoring and maintenance, rescue and salvage, etc.
Started in July 2017, the project was conducted by Zhejiang University, Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and others.
"The trial proves that underwater helicopter technology is feasible, marking an important milestone in underwater helicopter research and progress in the development of marine unmanned submersible technology,” said Si Yulin, general director of the project's sea trial team.
Its applications scope will be further expanded in the future.
