The U.S. Navy has taken delivery of its first large autonomous submarine. Boeing's Very Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV), also known as Orca, has completed acceptance testing, which included extensive surface and underwater testing.
At 85 feet (26 meters) long and with a payload capacity of eight tons (8.8 tons), Orca is the largest autonomous naval submarine ever built – in fact, it marks the birth of an entirely new class of submarines. It is the first of four prototype submarines ordered by the Navy for evaluation and is based on Boeing's Echo Voyager proof-of-concept XLUUV first unveiled in 2017. Still, the Orca is larger and has a modular design that can be customized to meet specific mission requirements.
Powered by a hybrid diesel/lithium-ion battery system, the boat can operate underwater for extended periods of time and can return to the surface to recharge the diesel engine thanks to a retractable mast that also acts as a snorkel. The payload section can accommodate various functional modules up to 34 feet (10 meters) long, with a maximum speed of 8 knots (9 mph, 15 km/h). It has a range of 6,500 miles (10,500 kilometers) for an unspecified duration, and autonomous systems are responsible for navigation and missions in contested waters.
While the Orca is large for an autonomous submarine, it is small compared to conventional submarines. This is because Orca does not require the life support systems, crew space, safety systems or silencing systems of a manned submarine. Therefore, it is a more compact vehicle that can accommodate various purposes in a small space.
"This is the culmination of more than a decade of pioneering work to develop a long-range, fully autonomous underwater vehicle with significant payload capacity that can operate completely independent of its main engine," said Ann Stevens, Boeing vice president of maritime and intelligent systems. "I have been extremely privileged to watch our team bring this first-of-its-kind capability to life, and I am proud of their innovation, perseverance and unwavering commitment to create the most advanced and capable unmanned underwater vehicle in the world."