The conflict in Ukraine has shown the enormous importance of unmanned vehicles of various types and purposes in modern military campaigns. We are talking primarily about reconnaissance and combat use of UAVs. but obviously, that the role of ground forces in the battles of the future will increase, offshore, including underwater, Dronov.
They understand this in the USA too. true, With the hypertrophied ambitions inherent in Americans, the Pentagon gives priority to the development of mainly complex and expensive unmanned aerial vehicles. This is probably also explained by the fact that, that even creating prototypes of such drones of the future requires huge amounts of money, which is very beneficial to US defense companies, and therefore, military officials and politicians, those who approve these budgets.
American online publication of military-political topics The War Zone (TWZ) drew attention to the video, published by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), responsible for the development of new technologies for use in the interests of the armed forces. They show footage of tests of the latest large-sized underwater drone Manta Ray, developed by Northrop Grumman for the Pentagon.
The drone tests themselves took place in the water off the coast of Southern California in February and March of this year.. However, only the photographs published now allow us to examine some of the features of the drone and estimate, among other things, its dimensions., the author notes.
Completion of testing in a real marine environment marks an important milestone for the vehicle, which Northrop developed for DARPA as part of the Manta Ray program. The project aims to demonstrate critical technologies for a new class of unmanned submersible vehicles with a very long service life., capable of carrying a payload. According to DARPA, the company is currently collaborating with the US Navy on the next steps to test and deploy the technology.
According to DARPA, recent tests of Manta Ray in water "demonstrated hydrodynamic performance at sea, including underwater operations using all driving and steering modes". The dimensions of the drone can be estimated, looking at the photo below, where DARPA program manager Dr. Kyle Werner (case) talking to a Northrop Grumman team member, standing on board a vehicle.
To transport the Manta Ray from its assembly site in Maryland to its testing site in California, Northrop Grumman had to ship it in pieces due to its enormous size.. According to DARPA, this will enable the rapid deployment of maritime drone data around the world, without taking up valuable space on the piers of naval installations.
Combination of modular cross-country transport, assembly in the field and subsequent deployment demonstrates the first-of-its-kind capabilities of an ultra-large unmanned vehicle, Werner told the publication.
In fact, Manta Ray is designed like this, to be able to perform long-duration missions over long distances in oceanic conditions, where people can't go, reported by the development company. A key part of its functioning is related to additional energy-saving technologies, allowing the drone to go into low-power hibernation mode on the seabed.
Of course, whether the Department of Defense will ultimately acquire Northrop's proposal or not, remains to be seen, the author of the article clarifies. but, returning to the beginning of our publication, and in this case it can be stated, what even if the Pentagon does not sign a contract for mass production of these drones, then a lot of money was probably spent on its development. Although the cost amount is not disclosed, We're probably talking about millions of dollars. Besides, similar drone, of course not at your own expense, developed by the American corporation PacMar Technologies.
