Boeing designs autonomous underwater vehicle
Staff
General Defense BoeingThe 51-foot vehicle is designed to stay underwater for months at a time.
Boeing’s latest unmanned, undersea vehicle (UUV), Echo Voyager, can operate autonomously for months at a time. The UUV was designed with a hybrid rechargeable power system and modular payload bay.
The 51-foot vehicle is designed to stay underwater for months at a time.
The 51-foot-long vehicle is not only autonomous while underway, but it can also be launched and recovered without the support ships that normally assist UUVs.
“Echo Voyager is a new approach to how unmanned undersea vehicles will operate and be used in the future,” said Darryl Davis, president, Boeing Phantom Works. “Our investments in innovative technologies such as autonomous systems are helping our customers affordably meet mission requirements now and in the years to come.”
Boeing has designed and operated manned and unmanned deep sea systems since the 1960s. The Echo Voyager is one of newest designs from Boeing, joining the 32-foot Echo Seeker and the 18-foot Echo Ranger.
“Echo Voyager can collect data while at sea, rise to the surface, and provide information back to users in a near real-time environment,” said Lance Towers, director, Sea & Land, Boeing Phantom Works. “Existing UUVs require a surface ship and crew for day-to-day operations. Echo Voyager eliminates that need and associated costs.”
