Boeing Unveils Groundbreaking Orca XL Undersea Drone for the U.S. Navy
Boeing has successfully handed over the inaugural Orca Extra Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) to the U.S. Navy following the completion of acceptance trials this month. The XLUUV, referred to by the Navy as “Orca,” represents a revolutionary class of autonomous submarine capable of executing prolonged critical missions to establish undersea maritime supremacy in dynamic environments and contested waters.
“This marks the culmination of over a decade of groundbreaking efforts, creating a long-range, fully autonomous undersea vehicle with substantial payload capabilities that can function entirely independently of a host vessel,” stated Ann Stevens, Vice President of Boeing Maritime and Intelligence Systems. “I’ve had the unique opportunity to observe our team’s transformation of this unprecedented capability into reality, and I’m immensely proud of their creativity, determination, and steadfast dedication which has produced the most sophisticated and effective UUV globally. Together with the Navy, we eagerly anticipate delivering this transformative vessel to the fleet.”
Through collaboration with the Navy, Orca has completed multiple phases of at-sea evaluations, encompassing both above and below surface maneuvers to showcase the vehicle’s exceptional capabilities.
Orca is the outcome of over 50 years of Boeing’s expertise in designing and operating underwater vehicles. In 2012, Boeing commenced the design and development of Echo Voyager, a proof-of-concept XLUUV that began its at-sea trials in 2017 and served as a precursor to the U.S. Navy’s Orca XLUUV competition. Echo Voyager – the only vessel of its kind and size – has spent more than 10,000 hours operating in marine environments and navigated hundreds of nautical miles autonomously.
