US Navy plans to get more Boeing Orca autonomous submarines this year

United States Navy (US Navy) plans to acquire new autonomous submarines extra large Boeing Orca this year. Rapid progress in vehicle testing under the Orca XL Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (XLUV) project has made this possibility possible.

The Naval branch of the US Armed Forces acquired a total of 6 Orca UUVs, of which 5 were prototypes and the remaining one was a training unit. The operation was structured into two contracts with a combined value of US$281 million. The first of the prototypes, believed to be already built, is to be delivered to the Navy in the coming months and the remainder to be delivered at the end of the year.

It is important to mention the existence of some setbacks that may arise in the construction related to the use of titanium in the helmet and the difficulty of working presented by the material to the manufacturing process. However, Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Squadron One (UUVRON-1) is already working on developing tactics, techniques and procedures for Orca.

During the Surface Navy Association’s national symposium, Scott Searles, program director, said: “He has 15 to 16 more tests left. So, there are 16 test periods and each has its own path”, Similarly, evaluations have already been conducted on the submarine’s systems and its autonomous capabilities; It remains to test its sensors and ability to avoid obstacles.

Orca is an extra large 26-metre long unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). It maintains a displacement of approximately 85 tons and uses a diesel electric propulsion system that gives it a range of 6,000 nautical miles. It is known for its modular payload bay of 0.86 meters and capacity of 8 tonnes. It has a maximum speed of 8 knots and its capabilities focus on surveillance, submerged, surface and electronic warfare and mine sweeping.

At the end of last year, Boeing delivers first Orca extra-large submarine to US NavyWhich was acquired in 2019 with a contract worth US $ 43 million for its construction. Its importance lies in the possibility of remaining operationally deployed for months on disputed territory without involving human activity.

Related to the Unmanned Maritime Systems program, Austal recently launched the Overlord-class autonomous unmanned vessel.vanguard“, the first unmanned surface vehicle in this program designed specifically for autonomous operation. Its current destination is the United States Navy’s Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One (USVDIV-1) to complete equipment and navigation, systems, and acceptance testing.

These include images of Boeing and US Navy Program Office

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