An object visible on Google Maps appears to be the U.S. military’s new submarine drone known as the Manta Ray, located at California’s Port Hueneme naval base.
The unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), shaped like the sea creature its named after, is part of a new program by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Defense. The prototype is among a set of the UUVs designed by the agency for a range of Navy purposes.
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Aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman designed the vehicle with the ability to glide through water without requiring any humans to be inside. In an news release published last month, the agency said the extra-large UUV will further develop “a new class of long-duration, long-range, payload-capable UUVs ready for persistent operations in dynamic maritime environments.”
Posts circulated online this week claiming that the prototype was visible on Google’s geographical service at the naval base in Ventura County, California. A similarly shaped object can be found sitting on the port in between two vessels using Google Maps.
The agency did not respond to USA TODAY’s requests for confirmation.
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Manta Ray tested successfully earlier this year
Between February and March, the Manta Ray successfully completed full-scale testing off the coast of Southern California. Northrup Grumman shared photos of the prototype slightly submerged while on the surface.
The test utilized the vehicle’s propellers, control surfaces and ability to float in water, all needed for propelling and steering functions, the agency said.
“Our successful, full-scale Manta Ray testing validates the vehicle’s readiness to advance toward real-world operations after being rapidly assembled in the field from modular subsections,” the agency’s program manager, Kyle Woerner, said in a statement. “The combination of cross-country modular transportation, in-field assembly, and subsequent deployment demonstrates a first-of-kind capability for an extra-large UUV.”
The agency said it was working with the Navy to asses what the vehicle’s next steps for testing are and the future implications of the technology.
Prototype built in Maryland and tested in California
The Manta Ray prototype was built in Maryland and later shipped to California in subsections to be tested, according to the agency.
The ease in shipping and assembling the vehicle suggests that global rapid deployment can be done without crowding pier space at naval facilities, the agency said.
“Shipping the vehicle directly to its intended area of operation conserves energy that the vehicle would otherwise expend during transit,” Woerner said.
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Honolulu-based engineering group PacMar Technologies is also performing Manta Ray tests with their own vehicle, part of a “new class of long-duration, long-range autonomous underwater vehicle,” the agency said in a 2023 news release.
In 2024, the company will continue to test its low-power and high efficiency mode underwater.
