Unmanned submersible sets record for distance

Beijing: China’s newest unmanned submersible, Qianlong 3, completed a journey of 156.8km during its second test dive in the South China Sea recently, setting a national record for the longest voyage by an underwater craft, a scientist said.

Qianlong 3 began its trip by plunging some 3,850m on Saturday.

After 43 hours, on Sunday evening, it finished its journey and was retrieved by crew members aboard the Chinese research vessel

Dayang Yihao, Xu Yijun, the craft’s deputy chief engineer, told Xinhua news agency.

The goal was for it to go for at least 30 hours at two knots and cover a distance of 60 nautical miles, or 111km. “The end test result was great,” Xu said.

Qianlong 3’s advantages over its predecessors – lower energy use and greater propulsion power – are responsible for the excellent results.

Qianlong 3, which is capable of reaching a depth of 4,500m, completed its maiden dive in the South China Sea on Friday.

Liu Jian, the submersible’s chief designer, told Xinhua that the new vehicle will further strengthen China’s technological capabilities in deepsea research and development, especially in more complex studies of seabed environments for scientific or mining purposes.

Qianlong 3 features designs similar to a clownfish, down to its signature orange and white stripes, big eyes and wavy tail. — China Daily/ Asia News Network