Boeing has built unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) for patrolling the sea. The Echo Voyager is 51-feet long. It the largest in the fleet of autonomous submarines built by the defense contractor. It’s also designed to allow up to six months of power before it needs to surface again.
The companyis labelling the sub as a “game changer,” given that it’s both bigger than its previous UUVs (the 32-foot Echo Seeker and 18-foot Echo Ranger) and its long-lasting power capabilities, capable of surviving for months instead of days.
A payload bay allows Boeing’s UUV to deploy any number of instruments, large and small, to study undersea conditions.
The company sees the vehicle as multi-purpose, whether for use by the Pentagon, oil companies, or scientists. Initial trials for the sub will begin this summer.
