You know how action-adventure/sci-fi movies sometimes depict villains emerging from the depths of the oceans in an underwater sea vehicle that resembles sea creatures like a giant manta ray? Well, that kind of just materialized. Though, whether or not the users are villains is unclear.
Also, the Manta Ray, as it is called, is not a giant vehicle; it is a UUV or Unmanned Underwater Vehicle, or as DARPA and Northrop Grumman call it an Uncrewed Sea Vehicle. God damn it. Can’t they just stick to an acronym and stop being so fancy? Geez.
Drawing inspiration from nature’s manta ray, the Manta Ray is a new class of Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV) that is being developed by aerospace and defense contractor Northrop Grumman for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to realize the agency’s vision of providing ground-breaking technology to create strategic surprises.
But it is not small like the UUVs you have seen. The Manta Ray is an extra-large UUV and it is designed to operate underwater for a long period and far out in the oceans where humans can’t go.
Northrop Grumman has developed a full-size demonstration vehicle that has recently completed in-water testing off the coast of Southern California in February and March 2024).
The full-scale in-water testing demonstrated its operational readiness and advanced hydrodynamic performance in various modes such as buoyancy, propellers, and control surfaces.
Manta Ray further touts a modular design that allows for cross-country transportation and rapid assembly in the field. This design facilitates worldwide deployment without needing extensive pier space at naval facilities.
It is, of course, payload-capable, allowing it to support a variety of missions and it is completely autonomous, negating the need for humans to be on or near it.
Additionally, the vehicle features energy-efficient, buoyancy-driven gliding and multiple payload bays to support diverse naval missions. Oh, it can anchor to the seafloor and hibernate in a low-power state.
The Manta Ray is not the first under military hardware that mimics sea creatures. The Navy has a submarine that takes on the likeness of a shark and it is not the first big UUV; Boeing has a large unmanned sub.
You can learn more about the Manta Ray UUV project at the DARPA and Northrop Grumman websites.
Images: DARPA/Northrop Grumman.
