US Navy building terrifying ‘Orca’ undersea drones that can sink submarines, hunt mines and dive to 11,000ft
THE US Navy is planning to build a massive undersea drone that can sink submarines and hunt mines as well as dive to depths of 11,000 feet, it has been reported.
The terrifying 50 ton Orca is 84 feet long, has a range of 6,500 nautical miles and comes with and array of high-tech sensors, manufacturer Boeing has said.
Boeing has been awarded a £33 million contract to produce the Orcas, which will perform a variety of underwater duties to assist manned military vessels around the globe.
They are based on the Echo Ranger and Echo Voyager drones that are currently in service.
According to US Navy Captain Pete Small the new drones will “instantly introduce a new realm of combat strategies and tactics”.
If required the robot submarines will be able to fire torpedoes as well as conduct surveillance and provide support to other Navy “mothership” vessels.
The drone is too large to be carried in a submarine and will instead be launched from a land dock.
They will be made easy to upgrade to take on new missions and also quickly integrate new technology and payloads as they emerge.
NEW MISSIONS
According to reports, the US Navy one day hopes to have an undersea drone capable of firing missiles, including nuclear weapons, but they will still be controlled by human operators.
The navy sees the drone being able to operate in areas where it is too dangerous to deploy manned submarines.
These include heavily mined waters or where there is a significant enemy presence, the
The US Navy’s development of undersea drones comes as Russia is making advances in the field.
MOST READ IN NEWS
Russia’s navy is will deploy underwater submarines armed with nuclear drones capable of causing a 300ft radioactive tsunami, state media reported.
The so-called Poseidon strategic missiles, carrying up to 200 megaton warheads, will be deployed by 2020 and could wipe out the likes of Los Angeles.
Putin's military plans to deploy the weapons on the new Project 09852 sub Belgorod - a converted nuclear-powered submarine.
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