Meet the Waterspout: A Submarine Based UAV

This is an interesting story, given the dimensions it should fit without problems on the SSGNs.

Students from the faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, in cooperation with four students from Pennsylvania State University have developed a submarine deployable helicopter. Their autonomous "Waterspout" is capable of exiting a submarine, floating safely to the water surface, and taking off vertically to its destination. This innovative machine won the 1st place in the undergraduate category at an annual student design competition, hosted by the American Helicopter Society (AHS) and sponsored by Sikorsky -one of the world's largest companies specializing in military and commercial helicopters.

Sound Interesting? Check out further details in the full winning entry. I'm not sure if it is a practical system that would ever be deployed, but it is a good sign for creativity. This system might make it in Israel, but I get the feeling it isn't what the US Navy is looking for in terms of a submarine launched UAV.