US Navy Receives First Orca Extra Large Uncrewed Vehicle After Successful Testing

Following many tests at sea, Boeing said on Wednesday that it had shipped its first-ever Orca underwater drone to the US Navy this month.

Extra-large unmanned undersea vessels (abbreviated XLUUVs), which can travel great distances and place mines without endangering sailors, are what the Navy is pursuing.

The program is a component of a larger effort to equip the fleet with new robotic platforms. Additionally, the Navy is purchasing and utilizing a range of unmanned aircraft systems and surface boats.

Orca is a new class of autonomous sub that is capable of carrying out lengthy critical missions to establish undersea maritime dominance in rapidly evolving and contested waters, per a press release from Boeing.

This is the culmination of over a decade of pioneering work, developing a fully autonomous and long-range undersea vehicle with a large payload capacity that can operate independently of a host vehicle, explained Ann Stevens, the VP of maritime and intelligence systems with Boeing.

Stevens added that they enjoyed witnessing the team bring such a first-of-its-kind capability to reality. They are proud of the innovation, unwavering commitment, and perseverance that has yielded the world’s most capable and advanced UUV. With the Navy’s collaboration, they look forward to continuing to deliver such a game-changing vehicle to the fleet.

As per a Congressional Research Service report, the Navy defines unmanned underwater vessels as those with a diameter greater than 84 inches. Boeing was contracted by the Navy in 2019 to build, test, and deliver the initial five Orcas. This is a component of an endeavour to attend to a joint emergent operational requirement, as defined by the Pentagon.

Per Navy budget documents, Orca XLUUV is a multiphased accelerated acquisition project to quickly deliver capability to the Fleet. Further, Orca XLUUV system fabrication awards are scheduled for FY2026 and beyond, with a potential increase in quantity in subsequent fiscal years contingent on the success of the initial five systems.

The payload bay of XLUUV will be modular, with specified interfaces that both present and future payloads must comply with to be used on the vehicle.

The project will incorporate the currently needed payload, and using the Core Technologies Program Element 0604029N, potential future payloads will be developed, assessed, and integrated preliminarily. The materials state that more XLUUV capabilities/technologies risk reduction will occur concurrently, utilizing the competitive industrial base.

For the endeavour, the Navy asked for $104 million in FY24 to support advanced underwater prototyping. Before the initial system was deployed this month, Orca underwent extensive sea testing, including above- and below-surface operations, per Boeing.

Reference: Defensescoop