The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced last week the successful completion of a number of tests of a new drone prototype that might just change sea warfare as we know it.
Called the Manta Ray because of its shape, the uncrewed underwater vehicle is currently under development by DARPA and Northrop Grumman.
On May 1, DARPA said the prototype of the new UUV completed “full-scale, in-water testing off the coast of Southern California in February and March 2024.”
“Testing demonstrated at-sea hydrodynamic performance, including submerged operations using all the vehicle’s modes of propulsion and steering: buoyancy, propellers, and control surfaces,” the agency announced.
On advantage touted by the agency is the fact that the prototype was built in Maryland but shipped “in subsections” to the testing area on the other side of the country.
Manta Ray #UUV prototype completes full-scale, in-water testing off the coast of SoCal. DARPA program exhibits modular, first-of-kind capability for an extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle. Built by @northropgrumman. https://t.co/BIDfh3cZCD pic.twitter.com/t6dqWB3i33
— DARPA (@DARPA) May 1, 2024
“Shipping the vehicle directly to its intended area of operation conserves energy that the vehicle would otherwise expend during transit,” DARPA’s project manager for Manta Ray, Dr. Kyle Woerner, said in a statement.
“Once deployed, the vehicle uses efficient, buoyancy-driven gliding to move through the water,” he added. “The craft is designed with several payload bays of multiple sizes and types to enable a wide variety of naval mission sets.”
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Woerner holds multiple degrees in engineering and robotics, including a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to his agency bio.
The program had announced in September the “splashing” of a scaled prototype near Oahu, Hawaii, and said then that it expected a wider range of testing to occur in 2024.
“Our successful, full-scale Manta Ray testing validates the vehicle’s readiness to advance toward real-world operations after being rapidly assembled in the field from modular subsections,” Woerner said of the California tests.
“The combination of cross-country modular transportation, in-field assembly, and subsequent deployment demonstrates a first-of-kind capability for an extra-large UUV,” he explained.
Northrop Grumman released a video about 18 months ago showing artists concepts of the new UUV.
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“Northrop Grumman has been pioneering new capabilities in the undersea domain for more than 50 years,” the company said when it posted the concept video to YouTube in 2022.
“Manta Ray, a new unmanned underwater vehicle, taking its name from the massive ‘winged’ fish, will need to be able to operate on long-duration, long-range missions in ocean environments without need for on-site human logistics support — a unique but important mission needed to address the complex nature of undersea warfare,” the company said of the project.
There was no estimate given for when — or even if — Manta Ray units might be deployed by the U.S. military.
DARPA was working with the U.S. Navy to determine additional needed tests and other next steps for the project.
