Rocket scientists from China’s National University of Defence Technology in Changsha, Hunan Province have announced plans for a boron-powered supersonic missile capable of both flying like a plane and swimming underwater like a missile.

According to blueprints recently detailed in the Journal of Solid Rocket Technology, which is published by the Chinese Society of Astronautics, the torpedo-like missile will demonstrate both range and speeds much greater than any torpedo currently in development.

This is, according to the developers, due in part to boron, which is a highly reactive light element that reacts well with both water and air to release significant amounts of heat.

The boron-powered ramjet engine is capable of working both in the air and underwater thanks to features such as adjustable inlets and exhaust nozzles that maintain the boron’s burn efficiency in different environments.

“The cross-media ramjet uses a fuel-rich solid propellant, which burns with the external air or seawater entering into the ram to generate high-temperature gas and generates thrust through the nozzle,” the paper said.

“It has the high specific impulse and simple structure as an ideal power source for a cross-media anti-ship missile.”

The 16.4 ft tall missile can reportedly travel at 2.5 Mach when at an altitude of 32,800 ft and, after traveling for roughly 124 miles, the missile promises to dive and skim over the waves for up to 12 miles.

Once a target is within a range of six miles, the missile will behave like a torpedo, traveling underwater at 200 knots, or 100 m per second. According to the researchers, this is achieved via supercavitation, wherein a giant air bubble forms and envelops the torpedo in the water, thereby reducing drag.

Further, the torpedo will also be capable of changing course to evade underwater defenses.