DARPA announces the first test of an incredible Manta Rays-inspired unmanned submarine

Check out the latest futuristic offering from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, also known as DARPA. From the people who brought you hypersonic air-breathing weapons, submarine-detecting shrimp and robot jazz musicians comes a massive manta ray-inspired unmanned submarine. The prototype, built by Northrop Grumman, has just completed its first test in the water.

The submarine is designed to carry large loads over long distances underwater, without humans on board for support. During deployment it may spend a period in ‘hibernation’, anchored to the seabed to conserve energy.

When the project was announced in 2022, Northrop Grumman wrote that their design would serve DARPA’s vision of creating “strategic surprise.” We think they can safely say they achieved that goal.

DARPA recently announced that a full-scale test of its prototype unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) had taken place off the coast of Southern California in February and March of this year.

“Our successful, large-scale Manta Ray testing validates the vehicle’s readiness to progress to real-world use after being rapidly assembled in the field from modular subsections,” said Dr. Kyle Woerner, DARPA program manager for Manta Ray, said in a statement. “The combination of cross-country modular transport, on-site assembly and subsequent deployment demonstrates a unique capability for an extra-large UUV.”

That “extra large” is about as detailed as we can get right now. New Atlas notes that DARPA and Northrop Grumman have so far kept most of the craft’s technical specifications to themselves, speculating that images released online appear to show hidden thrusters, an antenna, water intakes, and possibly maneuvering thrusters.

From the images we can get a sense of the scale and see that the flowing contours really resemble the animal of the same name – and perhaps a strange science fiction creation too.

There are hundreds of different species of manta rays found in waters around the world. They are social and intelligent creatures, countless messages from which appear to communicate with divers and snorkelers. But it was the graceful locomotion of the manta rays that really inspired the engineers behind the new UUV, continuing a long tradition of bio-inspired design.

“Once deployed, the vehicle uses efficient buoyancy-powered gliding to move through the water,” Woerner said.

Another key advantage of the Manta Ray UUV, as highlighted by both DARPA and Northrop Grumman, is that it can be shipped in pieces and quickly reassembled on site. The prototype was transported from the construction site in Maryland to the other side of the country and could also be used in the field.

“Transporting the vehicle directly to its intended area of ​​use saves energy that the vehicle would otherwise consume during transport,” Woerner explains.

DARPA says it’s currently working with the US Navy on the next steps for this technology – we’ll have to wait to find out when Manta Ray actually hits the water.