Uncrewed underwater ‘Manta Ray’ completes in-water testing

By Dean Murray via SWNS

A Thunderbirds -style military vehicle has completed in-water testing.

The Manta Ray prototype uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) is designed for long-duration undersea missions.

Manufacturer Northrop G rumman says they completed full-scale testing off the coast of Southern California in February and March.

Manta Ray was built through the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program.

Although its future missions have not been revealed, Northrop Grumman describes the vehicle as a "new class of UUV, it is an extra-large glider that will operate long-duration, long-range and payload-capable undersea missions without the need for on-site human logistics."

Testing demonstrated at-sea hydrodynamic performance, including submerged operations using all the vehicle’s modes of propulsion and steering: buoyancy, propellers, and control surfaces.

“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,” said Dr. Kyle Woerner, DARPA program manager for Manta Ray. “The combination of cross-country modular transportation, in-field assembly, and subsequent deployment demonstrates a first-of-kind capability for an extra-large UUV.”

Northrop Grumman says they shipped the prototype in subsections from the build location in Maryland to its test location in California. The demonstrated ease of shipping and assembly supports the possibility of rapid deployment throughout the world without "crowding valuable pier space at naval facilities".

“Shipping the vehicle directly to its intended area of operation conserves energy that the vehicle would otherwise expend during transit,” said Woerner. “Once deployed, the vehicle uses efficient, buoyancy-driven gliding to move through the water. The craft is designed with several payload bays of multiple sizes and types to enable a wide variety of naval mission sets.”

DARPA say they are engaging with the U.S. Navy on the next steps for testing and transition of this technology.

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