Military Periscope Logo

Navy Orders Orca UUVs From Boeing For Long-Range Autonomous Missions

Source: U.S. Department Of Defense

February 15 2019

USA

The Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Boeing, Huntington Beach, Calif., a contract for extra-large unmanned undersea vehicles (XLUUVs), reports the Dept. of Defense.

The $43 million contract covers four Orca XLUUVs and associated support elements, said a Pentagon release on Wednesday.

The Orca can operate autonomously while traveling up to 6,500 nm (12,000 km) without being connected to a manned mother ship. It is expected to eventually be able to perform mine countermeasures, strike, anti-submarine, surface and electronic warfare missions, reported USNI News.

Based on Boeing's Echo Voyager diesel-electric unmanned submarine, the Orca is modular with the core vehicle providing guidance, control, navigation, autonomy, situational awareness, communications power distribution, energy and power, propulsion and maneuvering and mission sensors, said the Pentagon release.

A reconfigurable payload bay enables future upgrades to respond to changing threats.

Work is scheduled to be completed by June 2022.

Military Periscope Logo

Your online source for military news, weapons, and nation's armed forces worldwide

Military Periscope FEDLINK information

Service ID: UC Contract Number: LCFDL19D0065

Military Periscope is a product of GovExec.

600 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 510,

Washington DC, 20037, USA.

(+1) 202-450-3967

©Military Periscope 2024

All rights reserved. Redistribution of the content is prohibited without prior consent of Military Periscope.