Flying cars no longer capture the public's imagination. Recently, at the semi-finals of the High-End Equipment Manufacturing category of the 2026 Hunan Province (International) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, a startup team from Changsha with an average age of just 25 showcased their self-developed SkyX biomimetic flying fish air-water cross-medium vehicle. This device can freely switch between aerial flight and underwater submersion modes, enabling continuous operations both in the sky and beneath the sea.
This project comes from Changsha Night Hawk Intelligent Technology. Its founder, Qu Guangxi, was born in 1999. Most team members emerged from university science and innovation clubs. After four years of iteration and five generations of prototypes, they successfully overcame multiple industry challenges, including air-water transition and hull pressure resistance and waterproofing.
Unlike mainstream quadcopter cross-medium solutions on the market, the "Biomimetic Flying Fish" adopts a biomimetic fixed-wing configuration. During flight, the wings fully extend, allowing for a maximum aerial endurance of up to one hour. When submerged, the wings automatically fold and retract to form a streamlined body that reduces water resistance, achieving a maximum underwater speed of 50 kilometers per hour—significantly outperforming similar products.
Traditional drones can only operate in the air, while underwater robots are limited to submersion; it is difficult for either to handle both environments. This vehicle enables seamless switching between water and air mediums, making it suitable for various complex task scenarios. In the future, it holds promise for applications in marine environmental monitoring, underwater search and rescue emergencies, national defense reconnaissance, and more.
During the R&D phase, the team conducted multiple outdoor water tests, achieving stable execution of water entry and exit maneuvers. They are currently tackling technical challenges such as attitude control during the moment of exiting the water. Once subsequent optimizations are complete, they plan to move forward with mass production of prototypes, contributing to the innovative development of domestic high-end equipment.
