US Navy completes testing of unmanned drone capable of long-distance mission under the sea

The Manta Ray undersea drone.

The United States Navy has completed an in-water testing of an unmanned drone capable of embarking on long-distance undersea mission that will likely change the face of military underwater operations.

The drone, known as Manta Ray Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV), was said to have been built through the US Department of Defence’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) programme and reportedly completed the full-scale testing off the coast of Southern California.

Some US Defence experts during the mission

According to the Daily Mail of UK on Thursday, the drone moves through the sea using what was described as ‘efficient, buoyancy-driven gliding’ and would reduce the need for much human involvement in underwater missions.

According to US Defence experts who conducted the mission, the drone is an extra-large glider that will operate long-duration, long-range and payload-capable undersea missions without need for on-site human logistics.

The rear view while embarking on the mission.

Testing of at-sea hydrodynamic performance, the experts added, included submerged operations using all the drone’s modes of propulsion and steering – buoyancy, propellers and control surfaces.

Dr. Kyle Woerner, DARPA programme manager for Manta Ray, was quoted as saying: “Our successful, full-scale Manta Ray testing validates the vehicle’s readiness to advance towards real-world operations after being rapidly assembled in the field from modular subsections.

Captured under the sea.

“The combination of cross-country modular transportation, in-field assembly and subsequent deployment demonstrates a first-of-kind capability for an extra-large UUV.”

According to the report, the drone was built in Maryland before being shipped in subsections to its test location in California, as it was also gathered that its ease of shipment demonstrated the possibility of rapid deployment throughout the world.

“Shipping the large drone directly to its intended area of operation conserves energy that the vehicle would otherwise expend during transit,” Woerner added.

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Femi Osinusi