Boeing Unveils Groundbreaking Orca XLUUV for the U.S. Navy

Boeing has successfully transferred the initial Orca Extra Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) to the U.S. Navy following the completion of acceptance testing this month.

The XLUUV, named by the Navy as “Orca,” represents a cutting-edge class of autonomous submarine capable of executing prolonged critical missions to establish undersea maritime superiority in dynamic environments and contested aquatic territories.

In collaboration with the Navy, Orca has passed through multiple stages of at-sea evaluations, including both surface and subsurface maneuvers to showcase the vehicle’s exceptional capabilities.

Orca is the product of over 50 years of Boeing’s expertise in constructing and operating undersea vehicles. In 2012, Boeing commenced the design and innovation of Echo Voyager, a proof-of-concept XLUUV that began at-sea assessments in 2017 and served as a forerunner to the US Navy’s Orca XLUUV competition.

Echo Voyager – the sole vehicle of its scale and capability globally – has accumulated over 10,000 hours in operation at sea, navigating hundreds of nautical miles autonomously.

Ann Stevens, Vice President of Boeing Maritime and Intelligence Systems, stated; “This marks the pinnacle of more than a decade of trailblazing efforts in creating a long-range, fully autonomous undersea vehicle with substantial payload capacity that can function entirely independently of a host.”

“I have had the unique opportunity to observe our team realize this groundbreaking capability, and I am proud of their creativity, determination, and steadfast commitment, which has produced the most sophisticated and capable UUV in existence. With the collaboration of the Navy, we look forward to consistently delivering this transformative vehicle to the fleet.”