World’s Most Advanced Surface Subversive Victa Is Part Speedboat, Part Submarine

The Victa is a concept by UK firm SubSea Craft, bearing a striking resemblance to the Lotus Esprit from the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, a 007 classic. But that’s where the James Bond connection stops because, unlike that Lotus, the Victa is almost real: SubSea announced earlier this month that they’re in the final stages of the prototype, and that sea trials are scheduled to kick off in January next year.

When it comes to market, with a starting price estimated at around $9 million, Victa will be the world’s most advanced surface subversive, according to the British company. It will be part speedboat and part submersible, a diver delivery craft that will be fast, stealthy and tech-packed. According to the makers, it will also be targeted at a variety of potential buyers, from the military to the millionaire adventurers looking for their next thrill.

And truly, what can be more thrilling than the promise of being able to zip on water at high speed and then dive deep under in as little as two minutes?

Victa comes with a composite hull of carbon fiber with a Diab foam core, which makes it strong but lightweight. It’s painted matte black and carries six divers, a pilot and a navigator, all of whom will be wearing diving gear. That’s because Victa is what is known as a “wet sub,” meaning that, in order to dive, it floods the cabin with water. The entire process takes just two minutes.

As a boat, the Victa is powered by a custom Seatek 725+ diesel engine that delivers 725 bph to a pair of Konsberg Kamewa water jets. As the concept video available at the bottom of the page shows, Victa can be dropped on water by helicopter, and can travel from there to whatever desired destination at speeds of up to 40 knots. The cruising speed is of 30 knots, and the range based on fuel capacity is estimated at 250 nautical miles.

When there’s need to submerge, propulsion switches to 20-kW electric motors powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, with four thrusters for slow speed depth control. Top speed underwater is of 8 knots, with a cruising speed of 6 knots, a range of 25 nautical miles and a maximum depth of 30 meters (98 feet).

Fly-by-wire steering technology allows the controls to be used both on the water and underneath, while an onboard open circuit air system ensures that all occupants don’t deplete their respective air tanks before they reach their destination. The onboard life-support system is good for four hours of breathing for all eight people.

Victa seems like a perfect fit for special ops, but SubSea Craft CEO Scott Verney believes it could appeal to civilians, too. As noted above, it would make for the perfect toy for the adventurous playboy looking for a new thrill – or looking to play out a James Bond scenario in real life.

“You can enjoy transiting along gently with a school of whales,” Verney told Robb Report earlier this month. “Seeing them under water is far superior than bobbing along beside on a boat.”

That may very well be true, but it’s highly likely potential Victa orders won’t come from civilian parties, given its capabilities and the impressive technology on board. Verney himself seems fully aware of it.

“It’s the most advanced craft of its type,” he tells the same media outlet, on how the idea for Victa came about during a meeting with military vets and professional divers. “The two-minute transition time between surface and subsurface is groundbreaking. We’ve also mastered fly-by-wire sophistication to reduce pilot load.”

A prototype of Victa is now in progress, with the company expecting sea trials to start within a couple of months.