Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
In a modernization effort, the US Navy is adding a fleet of autonomous submarines with the purchase of four of Boeing’s Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs) that will become multi-mission for the service, according to the US Naval Institute.
Last Wednesday, the Navy awarded Boeing a $43 million deal to manufacture four of the 51-foot Orca XLUUVs capable of traveling 6,500 nautical miles unaided.
The service is eyeing the submarine for “robot wolfpacks” of remotely-operated vessels to conduct anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare, mine countermeasures, and strike missions.
“We are pleased with the Navy’s decision to award Boeing a contract to build and deliver four Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles, and are committed to providing this important autonomous undersea capability to meet the Navy’s unique mission needs,” the company said in a Thursday statement to USNI News.
The Orca is a fully autonomous diesel-electric submarine launched and recovered from a naval port. With a range of 6,500 nautical miles, the vessel can run for weeks at a time. The sub is enormous, in terms of a robot submarine, measures 51 by 8.5 by 8.5 feet and weighs 50 tons.
The sub features a high-tech inertial navigation system, depth sensors, and can surface to transmit data back to base. The vessel can dive to a maximum depth of 11,000 feet and has a top speed of eight knots.
One crucial piece of the sub is the payload system that allows it to haul up to eight tons in an internal cargo bay that measures 34 feet.
Popular Mechanics points out, the sub’s modular design and cheap price tag make the vessel a potential game-changer for the Navy.
Orca could even pack a Mk. 46 lightweight torpedo to take a shot at an enemy sub itself. It could also carry heavier Mk. 48 heavyweight torpedoes to attack surface ships, or even conceivably anti-ship missiles. Orca could drop off cargos on the seabed, detect, or even lay mines. The modular hardware payload system and open architecture software ensures Orca could be rapidly configured based on need.
This sort of versatility in a single, low-cost package is fairly unheard of in military spending. The nearest rough equivalent is the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship, which costs $584 million each and has a crew of 40. While LCS is faster, has the benefit of an onboard crew, and carries a larger payload, Orca is autonomous—and cheaper by orders of magnitude.
The purchase of these robot subs comes amid a push into autonomous vessels for the service. Last month, the Navy’s autonomous Sea Hunter ship, conducted its first surveillance mission from San Diego to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and back without a crew onboard.
Beautiful. Even has a headlight. the Russian one doesn’t so it’s useless. And it has a huge cargo bay, 34′ for a 51′ submarine which is very impressive. From the picture and text I understand that it’s propulsion is nothing revolutionary and they say nothing about how long cat it move under water with it’s 2 tiny electric propellers. If I’m not mistaken, by the looks of the large propeller I think they intend to use it as a near-surface vessel for most of the way with a snorkel and all.
What’s even more astonishing is the price tag. Less than $11.000.000 for each? Lockheed doesn’t even answer your call for that. A Reaper costs about $17m, a Predator about $4m and they’re in serial production. So by US military pricing traditions this UUV can’t be very high tech can it?
It can never measure up to “The Kursk” the worlds best artificial reef made in Russia!
All the dead sailors of USS Thresher and USS Scorpion (god rest their souls along with Kursk’s crew) are looking at you with stinky eyes.
None of his or her kin are going to die for Neocon wars. Are they Americans to begin with? The ones who live stateside don’t join the armed forces, like this Jacob something guy.
Worst is your paid peanuts…or penisssesss, for on purpose saying horrible things.
Your momma would be a shamed of you if she knew.
But your too much of a coward to tell yo mama.
Fuck you coward…i got a 2″ wrench for you when we meet ;))
Thats humor, where I live. Why did Kursk go down? Well it was a ship, which not even was finished. Did any in Russia tell about how when an d like that ? No they diod not.
They even gave home to the Russian soldier families even they knew, the sub was exploded. Russia by that sunk its own credibility.
So how is Kursk usefull today. Well only as artificial reef. I might be wrong, but isnt it a raditioactive one too.
So what about Kutznesof having smoke as old steamboats , next an airtplane dies at it outisde Syria – And when it comes home for repair in Murtmansk, the drydock gives pictures, so a lot of the world gain the opposite of respect.
Where are the rest of the YSSR submarines ? No wonder people joke about it.
So why did they sunk Kursk. Was it because it created new jobs.
You write as if You have nothing above the belt Yourself.
We you can call it humor all you want. It aint, your just being petty, mean and shows what an uncultured swine you really are!!
I got balls of steel dont you forget it fuckhead!
Much like those areYour brain too. It could be true, they probatly is close to Your behind.
You must have neither.
Balls are like always 4″ to your ass anyways. Thats close to your ass!!!
You must have neither.
I once had a videogame in DOS handling balls of steel very well.
Haha duke nukem 3d. I had it too ;))
I would have loved to be in the room when it finally dawned on the US navy brass that their carrier fleet is a big liability in today’s world.
It seemes like something already hit You :)
The US is looking very desperate, trying to copy every new Russian weapon.
except this is diesel electric while the Poseidon is nuclear and has unlimited autonomy. The difference is substantial, especially in this type of system.
US copy of Russian Harpsichord, but shittier and more expensive…
Game changer??? ROFL!!!
I dont think they have written its a game changer. Reading about it, it replace several other systems as well as adding tech instead of crew and fx oxygen for crews.
You can see the same for the different kinds of dronesystems. They partly replace older and much more expensive system and here and there is better, but not all is replaced.
We have to make those “gadgets” usefull for civilians as well. Denmark now has its first drone for transporting blod for anylyse and the results back with in hours – iof needed. We have many strange distances and islands, at it replace a car and sometimes even a helicopter.
So when I see that kind of sub, I also see them as civile transportation below. Some parts here are overpopulated by ships here. My worry is using diesel. It would be better if it used solar electricity and batteries. The same goes for transporation above us.
You must be joking. Whatever it is or work, its not the same thing at all. .
Balls of steel
Yerrh, no harddisk.
i have serious doubts that, provided it can really dive to 11000 feet, can even move at that depth with electric engines.
diesel-eletric?
Hot air !!.
Yes, price does matter. Because we don’t just need good subs, we need LOTS of good subs.