The US Navy has recently ordered four Orca Extra-Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (XLUUVs) from Boeing, in a contract worth $43 million. The Orca XLUUVs are very large diesel-electric drone submarines intended to gather intelligence, place or clear naval mines, attack other ships or submarines, conduct stand-off strikes, and more.
The Orca is a design based on the Boeing Echo Voyager demonstration submarine with a range of 6,500 nautical miles. The vessel measures 51 by 8.5 by 8.5 feet and has a dry weight of 50 tons. The Echo Voyager has a maximum speed of around eight knots underwater and can dive to depths up to 11,000 feet deep. Its batteries give it a range of more than 150 miles at a speed of around 3 knots before it needs to surface and use its air-breathing diesel generator to recharge. Boeing has said that Echo Voyager could carry enough fuel to allow it to operate autonomously for up to six months at a time. It has its own sonar-enabled obstacle avoidance system, as well as an inertial navigation system.
The Killer Whale Submarine
Description
This is the streamlined, two-person watercraft that breaches and submerges just like the Orcinus orca after which it is designed. A pilot protected beneath its watertight 1/2″-thick acrylic canopy pushes and pulls twin control levers to articulate the whale’s pectoral fins for rolls and stealthy dives. With a finger on the right lever’s throttle trigger, steering is provided by dual foot pedals that control the vectored thrust of the craft’s 255-hp supercharged Rotax axial flow engine, enabling realistic behaviors such as porpoising or skyhopping. It can hydroplane up to 50 mph over the water’s surface and it can cruise up to 25 mph while submerged; its dorsal fin’s integrated snorkel ensures air supply to the engine up to a depth of 5′. The cockpit’s dashboard includes a speedometer, tachometer, engine and air pressure gauges, and an LCD that displays live video from the dorsal fin’s built-in camera. Vinyl seats with closed-cell foam upholstery and four-point racing harnesses ensure pilot and passenger safety. With 14-gallon fuel tank. Special conditions and guarantee limitations apply. Please call 1-800-227-3528 for details. 17 1/4′ L x 3 1/2′ W x 4 3/4′ H. (1,450 lbs.)
https://www.hammacher.com/product/killer-whale-submarine
Ah, but wait!
The Navy Just Ordered the ‘Orca,’ an Extra-Large Unmanned submarine.
Feb 14, 2019 – The unmanned submarines, called Orcas, will be able to undertake missions from scouting to sinking ships at very long ranges. Drone ships …
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a26344025/navy-extra-large-unmanned-submarines-boeing/
“The Orca is a design based on the Boeing Echo Voyager demonstration submarine with a range of 6,500 nautical miles. The vessel measures 51 by 8.5 by 8.5 feet and has a dry weight of 50 tons. The Echo Voyager has a maximum speed of around eight knots underwater and can dive to depths up to 11,000 feet deep. Its batteries give it a range of more than 150 miles at a speed of around 3 knots before it needs to surface and use its air-breathing diesel generator to recharge. Boeing has said that Echo Voyager could carry enough fuel to allow it to operate autonomously for up to six months at a time. It has its own sonar-enabled obstacle avoidance system, as well as an inertial navigation system.”
$43 million?
As we say in Scotland. Aye! Right!
$43 Mil is othing.
Navy’s $128 Billion Nuclear Submarine Project Faces Audit
By Anthony Capaccio
April 17, 2019, 4:00 AM EDT
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-17/navy-s-128-billion-nuclear-sub-project-faces-watchdog-s-review