Yahoo Autos Boeing Has a Beast of a Submarine Ready to Autonomously Patrol the Ocean
Boeing's newest unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) is a real beast. The Echo Voyager is 51-feet long, making it the largest in the fleet of autonomous submarines built by the defense contractor. It's also designed to allow up to six months of power before it needs to surface again.
Boeing is labelling the sub a "game changer," given that its both bigger than its previous UUVs (the 32-foot Echo Seeker and 18-foot Echo Ranger) and its long-lasting power capabilities, capable of surviving for months instead of days. A payload bay allows Boeing's UUV to deploy any number of instruments, large and small, to study undersea conditions. (Or under lakes, depending on the customer.)
The company sees the vehicle as multi-purpose, whether for use by the Pentagon, oil companies, or scientists. Initial trials for the sub begin this summer, during which time it'll in no way look terrifying under the water.
Source: Wired
