US Navy Receives 1st Orca Unmanned Submarine Manufactured by Boeing

U.S. Sailors and Marines stand on the flight deck of the USS Bataan, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, as it passes the Statue of Liberty during Fleet Week in New York Harbor on May 24, 2023. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. Navy recently expanded its fleet after receiving its first giant unmanned submarine made by aerospace and defense giant Boeing.

The Navy announced the delivery of the first extra-large unmanned undersea vehicle (XLUUV), also called an Orca, on Dec. 20, saying that the new diesel-electric submarine “marks a significant milestone in advancing the Navy’s undersea capabilities.”

“With its long-endurance capability, the Orca XLUUV can operate autonomously for extended periods. This allows for sustained operational presence and increased mission effectiveness in challenging undersea environments,” the Navy said.

The Navy’s announcement comes at a time when the United States’ maritime superiority is being challenged by China, which boasts the largest navy in the world with over 370 ships and submarines, according to the Pentagon’s latest report on China’s military. To confront communist regime’s maritime threats, Australia, the UK, and the United States formed a trilateral security partnership known as AUKUS in 2021, to arm Australia with nuclear-power submarines.

Five more Orcas are scheduled to be delivered in the future, the Navy added, which first ordered the new autonomous submarines in 2019. The Navy has designated the first Orca as a “Test Asset System” or XLE0.

“Configured to accommodate various payloads, the Orca XLUUV allows for the seamless integration of sensors, communication systems, and other mission-specific components, adapting to the evolving requirements of naval operations,” the Navy added.

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The new unmanned submarine was built based on the design of Boeing’s Echo Voyager undersea drone, which is 51 feet long and 8.5 feet wide. The drone can accommodate a modular payload up to 34 feet in length, increasing its full length to about 85 feet. In comparison, the Navy’s Virginia-class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine is 377 feet in length.

In a press release, Boeing said the delivery was made following the completion of acceptance testing earlier this month. “With the partnership of the Navy, Orca has undergone several phases of at-sea testing, including above and below surface maneuvers to demonstrate the vehicles’ unique capabilities,” the company added.

Ann Stevens, vice president of Boeing Maritime and Intelligence Systems, said in a statement that the Orca is the “most advanced and capable” unmanned undersea vehicle in the world. “With the Navy’s partnership, we look forward to continuing to deliver this game-changing vehicle to the fleet,” she added.

In July, Boeing released a video of the Orca being tested at sea on X, formerly known as Twitter, while the vehicle was surrounded by many dolphins.

‘Most Lethal’

U.S. Navy Adm. Michael Gilday, in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” in March, said the Orca “will be among the most lethal and stealthy platforms in the arsenal of the U.S. military.”

“At a minimum, it will have a clandestine mine-laying capability. So it'd be done in a way that is very secretive—but very effective,” Adm. Gilday added.

He added that unmanned vehicles are the future. “Some 40 percent of our fleet in the future, I believe, is gonna be unmanned,” he said.

During the interview, Adm. Gilday also responded to a question about remarks made by former Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, who warned that the United States should drop its “containment” policy against China.

“Perhaps the Chinese minister doesn’t like the fact that the U.S. Navy is operating in collaboration with dozens of navies around the world to ensure that the maritime commons remains free and open for all nations,” Adm. Gilday said. “The Chinese wanna dictate those terms. And so they don’t like our presence.

“But our presence is not intended to be provocative. It’s intended to assure and to reassure allies and partners around the world that those sea lanes do remain open. The global economy literally floats on seawater.”

A potential war between the United States and China could happen over Taiwan, if the Chinese Communist Party decides to invade the self-ruled island.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in a report published in January, predicted based on war games that the United States, Japan, and Taiwan could defeat a conventional amphibious invasion by China, but at a high cost as the trio “lose dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of personnel.”

The war games showed the importance of the U.S. Navy’s submarines, saying that they “were able to enter the Chinese defensive zone and wreak havoc with the Chinese fleet, but numbers were inadequate.”

The report offered many recommendations to the U.S. government, including prioritizing the investment in unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

“There is guaranteed to be some submarine attrition in a fight against China, particularly in the constrained waters of the Taiwan Strait. Each loss would be a painful blow. A Virginia-class submarine has a crew of 135 and costs roughly $3 billion. While UUVs are not as capable as attack submarines, they could be programmed to fulfill some relatively straightforward missions (e.g. minelaying),” the report said.