Orca
Boeing delivers first fully autonomous submarine to the US Navy
The autonomous submarine is 25 meters long and weighs 80 tons.
© Boeing / PR
In the future, the US Navy will also be fully autonomous in the world’s oceans. Boeing has delivered the first of several copies to the American military.
Just before Christmas, the US Navy is giving itself a present. Boeing says it has the first of five Delivered to Orca submarines. This is a so-called Extra Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV), which represents a new class in the US Navy’s arsenal.
The unmanned submarine is designed to travel for long periods while carrying out important tasks in military operations. According to the manufacturer, it is intended to “achieve a dominant position in changing environments and contested waters.”
Meanwhile, the specialist magazine “The Warzone” goes into more detail. Accordingly, an orca weighs 80 tons and is around 25 meters long. Underwater, the submarine looks like a black pill, but on the surface it can raise its mast, which allows it to establish a connection to satellites, for example.
Armament planned
The underwater vehicle offers a cargo hold approximately ten meters long, which can accommodate cargo weighing up to eight tons. The structure is modular so that the submarine can be adapted for different missions.
“The Warzone” reports that the planned missions could include, for example, the planting or clearing of mines, electronic warfare, surveillance of larger areas or mapping the seabed. The manufacturer only describes the possible duration of the journeys as “months”.
It is said that arming the drones is already planned. Accordingly, the Navy has expressed interest in equipping the Orcas with torpedoes, cruise missiles or unmanned aerial vehicles, such as combat drones.
The USA is not the only one building autonomous submarines
As the war in Ukraine shows, military conflicts are increasingly being fought using unmanned drones. At sea, according to “The Warzone,” this development could completely change combat in the future. Other nations, such as China, are also working on submarines like the Orca.
source: Boeing, “The Warzone”