---
title: "Bond Upgrade: The $1.7m DeepFlight Dragon Underwater Quadcopter"
description: "It even has a “beach landing” mode."
date: "2015-11-05"
modified: "2015-11-05"
authors:
  - name: "Jonathan Schultz"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jonathan-schultz"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/tech/777/bond-upgrade-the-1-7m-deepflight-dragon-underwater-quadcopter"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Aviation"
---

# Bond Upgrade: The $1.7m DeepFlight Dragon Underwater Quadcopter

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/deepflightdragon_hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

https://youtube.com/embed/ydUhd_irtyY

*The Spy Who Loved Me* shocked the Bond franchise out of its Disco Era torpor with nothing more than a Lotus Esprit. Well, an amphibious Lotus Esprit. But still. Now, this vaunted moment in 007 lore, which you can relive above, is looking very, very quaint.

Meet the [DeepFlight Dragon](<https://www.deepflight.com/dragon/>), a $1.7 million personal submarine that made its global debut at last month’s [Monaco Yacht Show](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/449/watch-this-253-foot-yacht-carry-a-benz-out-to-sea>). It carries two people. It can do 6 knots. It has positive buoyancy, meaning it floats. And while we know of no defense contractors retrofitting a Dragon with torpedo bays, it’s easy to imagine an [evil billionaire](<https://giphy.com/gifs/dr-evil-mike-myers-austin-powers-FrajBDPikVqBG>) going that route.

Powered by six brushless DC motors—or thrusters, in this application—drawing power from a 15 kilowatt-hour lithium-iron phosphate battery pack, the bobbing bauble has a number of clever features: a crawl mode for “rugged beach launching”; an integrated GoPro HD video recording system; and cabin monitoring of your O2 quality. The Dragon is good for a 400-foot dive, so don’t worry, [James](<https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/deep-sea-challenge/cameron-how-deep>); the Mariana Trench is still yours.

One fellow secured a ride in a Dragon available for hire at the exclusive Laucala Island resort in Fiji. If you can begrudge him his good fortune, and his producers’ love of cut-rate Italo house music, [take a look](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mggu8Ux7uA>).

![deepflightdragon\_gal\_1.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/deepflightdragon_gal_1.jpg>)
*DeepFlight*

![deepflightdragon\_gal\_2.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/deepflightdragon_gal_2.jpg>)
*DeepFlight*

![deepflightdragon\_gal\_3.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/deepflightdragon_gal_3.jpg>)
*DeepFlight*

![deepflightdragon\_gal\_4.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/deepflightdragon_gal_4.jpg>)
*DeepFlight*

![deepflightdragon\_gal\_5.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/deepflightdragon_gal_5.jpg>)
*DeepFlight*

![deepflightdragon\_gal\_6.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/deepflightdragon_gal_6.jpg>)
*DeepFlight*

![deepflightdragon\_gal\_7.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/deepflightdragon_gal_7.jpg>)
*DeepFlight*

![deepflightdragon\_gal\_8.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content/archive-images/deepflightdragon_gal_8.jpg>)
*DeepFlight*

## Author
Deputy Editor. Previously held editorial positions at BBC.com and the New York Times. Brakes for whoopie pies.

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