The US Navy has signed a contract with Boeing – best known here for its aircraft division – for the construction of four unmanned XL underwater vehicles (XLUUVs). The submarines are being built in collaboration with Huntington Ingalls Industries and will be around 15.5 metres long. The range of the unmanned vessels, which are equipped with autonomous navigation systems and a fuel module, is 12,038 kilometres.
Unmanned submersibles have been around for quite some time and are increasingly seen in maritime and civilian operations at sea. Until now, these vessels were small and had a limited range, requiring them to stay close to their mother ships. Large-scale submarine operations were therefore reserved for large, manned submarines. With the purchase of the Orca, the US Navy is changing that. It proves the growing importance of robotic submarines for the naval fleet.
The Orca is derived from the Boeing-designed 'Echo Voyager' model. The submarine is diesel-electric powered and can be used for mine action, war operations (submarine, electronic or surface), strike missions and many other applications. The Orca has an open architecture, a modular superstructure with a cargo bay that is 10.4 metres long has a volume of 56.6 cubic metres.
The Orca operates completely autonomously. Thanks to extensive autonomous systems, no 'mother ship' or separate support is needed for the submarine to do its job. And because the Orca is unmanned, it can stay underwater for months without surfacing in between.
