US Navy’s new Orca XLUUV offers options
The Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV), which the US Navy recently began buying, is a ‘tremendous capability’ that will be able to travel long distances to perform a host of ‘dull and dangerous’ missions, according to an analyst and former naval officer.
The autonomous vessel could be used to deploy sensors, lay mines, or provide fuel or battery power to other UUVs, all without putting sailors in harm’s way, said Bryan McGrath, deputy director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for American Seapower in Washington, DC. It will cost a fraction of the navy’s multi-billion-dollar manned submarines, potentially allowing
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