According to recent reports, a top-secret submarine was spotted on Google Maps. Internet sleuths managed to spot the “Manta Ray,” an autonomous vessel apparently docked at the Port Hueneme naval base in California.
Images of the vessel indicate why it is nicknamed after the maritime sea creature with its wide triangular body. Furthermore, the submarine, like the Manta Ray, can also submerge itself in deep waters for extended periods.
“Our successful, full-scale Manta Ray testing validates the vehicle’s readiness to advance toward real-world operations after being rapidly assembled in the field from modular subsections,” he stated. “Shipping the vehicle directly to its intended area of operation conserves energy that the vehicle would otherwise expend during transit,” he said.
The aquatic vessel was created by aeronautics, defense, and cyberspace company Northrop Grumman. The vehicle came about as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released a request for an underwater craft with advanced capabilities.
“In 2020, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released a request for proposals on a new class of uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV). Their request sought to advance capabilities in energy management, efficiency, power, fueling and more for long-range and long-duration missions,” according to a post on Northrop Gruamman’s website written by Mariah Pulver.
Given the nature of underwater missions, there are a number of variables to account for that can add confounding variables. Therefore, the company sought to develop a UUP that was “bigger, more efficient and autonomous, or able to act independently without human supervision.”
Pulver continued, “Northrop Grumman answered the call. We designed, built and, earlier this year, tested Manta Ray, our full-scale UUV that will voyage to the depths of the ocean on extended missions.” Reportedly, the Manta Ray is capable of conserving substantial amounts energy that make it suitable for long mission, deploying the use of Gliders, a type of UUV that has been around since the 1960s.
“A glider has a really intriguing propulsion mechanism, falling forward [with purpose] through the water all the time, both upward and downward,” according to a statement from Brian Theobald, principal investigator and chief engineer for Manta Ray at Northrop Grumman. “When Manta Ray needs to go up or down, it changes buoyancy by pumping sea water to change the weight of the vehicle.”
Furthermore, the Manta Ray’s extra-large size provides mission-critical capabilities, however, this created a set of design challenges for the craft. Structural Engineer Hayley Sypniewski said, “Our team had to be creative and innovative to find solutions that would work for a glider UUV as big as Manta Ray. It’s not a one-to-one scale with typical glider UUVs; because of its size, we added more buoyancy engines, a bigger payload bay, an enhanced towing system and an extremely efficient and large hull system.”
Perhaps the most important quality of the UUV is its autonomous capability that protects the lives of U.S. service members. “Manta Ray’s uncrewed capability is critical because we want to keep humans out of harm’s way during long missions in potentially dangerous environments,” Joe Deane, Manta Ray program manager, stated.
Featured image credit: Google Maps
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