The United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency revealed a prototype for its new underwater drone, called the Manta Ray.
The uncrewed underwater vehicle, known as a UUV, is capable of long excursions and delivering a payload, which could include torpedoes or ballistic missiles. However, payload parameters were not specified.
DARPA announced that it had completed in-water testing off the coast of Southern California in February and March 2024 after the vehicle was shipped from Maryland by defense contractor Northrop Grumman.
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Testing included hydrodynamic performance, submerged operations, and demonstrations of the vehicle’s propulsion modes using 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,
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