Inflatable Towers/Sails for Submarines

[Husky_Khan]

The U.S. Navy is investigating the possibility of having its future nuclear attack submarines fitted with sails — the tower-like structures on their forward upper-hulls — that are inflatable, popping up when required, but otherwise concealed to preserve the sub’s speed, maneuverability, and acoustic stealth. The Inflatable Deployable Sail System (IDSS) is ultimately hoped to result in technology that will allow the Next-Generation Attack Submarine, or SSN(X), to be able to “operate submerged without the impediments of a sail.”

Apparently the Chinese released a testbed submarine without a sail back in 2019 that was more of a demonstrator then anything practical and the US has been working on one themselves for quite a while.