6,500 nautical miles = 7,480 miles

Via a submarine cargo ship.

China had sub drone news today too

...somewhere in the Persian gulf...carrying a gigantic nuclear bomb...oops! did Iran just blow up?

No shitters no galley no sleeping quarters.... just a weapon with a propeller.

But who is going to do all the painting?

I’d hate to endanger Israeli Dolphins that way

Another example of defictionalization.

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A mad scientist built an Orca attack sub for the Navy in an old episode of Ducktales.

I think the Orca snacking on a ship would make a nice project insignia.

Hopefully no one steals it this time.

Would be cool if before it explodes it would send a last message to the capturing sub, “You are not my supervisor!”

I've always wondered why we haven't developed good Diesel/Electric subs.
But max speed of 8 knots?  That is at best an ambush boat.

Hey now that thing is awesome

Disturbing that you post about SEALs with a licking emoji

Yeah, how is this done??? ELF??

Hire some Chinese to do it.  What could go wrong?

really reaally
slooooooooooowly

Boeing info PDF for the Echo Voyager which the Orca will be based on. Gives some more info on the coms and navigation aspects.

ECHO VOYAGER
Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle

Current Environment
Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs), due to their limited endurance, require host platforms for launch and recovery. That reliance results in significant size restrictions limiting on-board power availability, precluding incorporation of redundancy for long-term operations, and reducing payload capacity. At the same time, new sensor and system payloads are rapidly being introduced that could expand the UUV mission set. Viable, costeffective UUVs providing endurance capabilities and meeting modular payload requirements for varied missions are needed to support the demonstration and refinement of capabilities in open ocean environments.

Boeing’s Echo Voyager, a multi-market, pier-launched, modular, long-range Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) shifts that paradigm.

The Boeing Solution
Echo Voyager is a game-changing platform, capable of performing as a multi-mission system and playing a pivotal role in future force structure. The vehicle’s advanced autonomy allows it to operate for months at a time without physical human contact and in congested waters. Echo Voyager is complete with a generous internal and external payload volume and available energy capacity. Echo Voyager is the next generation of UUVs.

Host Ship Independent Very Long Endurance/Range
• Swims from port • 6,500 nm range (1 fuel module)
• Fully autonomous • Months of operation

Navigation System
The vehicle provides remarkable navigational accuracy. The primary navigation system features a proven Kalman filtered Inertial Navigation Unit (INU) aided by a set of Doppler Velocity Logs (DVLs), and depth sensors, and can use seafloor long baseline (LBL) transponders to augment the navigation solution. GPS is available operating on or near the surface.

Key navigation performance characteristics:
• Altitude Stability: 0.8 ft / 0.25 m ‡
• Depth Stability: 1.0 ft / 0.3 m ‡
• LBL aided position accuracy: 7.7 ft / 2.3 m ‡
• Unaided position accuracy: 0.15% distance traveled
‡: RMS values

Communications
The vehicle uses encrypted Inmarsat IV, Iridium, Wi-Fi, and/or freewave enabled communications for operational command, control, system status, and mission re-planning during nearsurface operations, and acoustic communications for command, control, and status messages during submerged operations.

Buoyancy Control and Trim
The vehicle features an active buoyancy control system with the
following features:
• Autonomous buoyancy control capability
• Forward and aft trim control
• Seafloor mooring capability

Obstacle Avoidance
The vehicle features an active obstacle avoidance capability. The capability is enabled by a Forward-Looking Sonar (FLS) and proven autonomous obstacle avoidance algorithms.

Terrain Following
The vehicle’s FLS system along with a DVL enable terrain following mission capability operations near the seafloor.

Modular Payload Capacity
The vehicle’s internal payload support capability includes:
• Size: Up to 34 ft in length
• Volume: Up to ~ 2,000 cu ft internal volume (14 ft length provides ~ 900 cu ft internal volume)
• Capacity: 8 ton dry weight, 18 KW battery power
The vehicle can also accommodate external payloads.

Sonar Payload
Echo Voyager can utilize various types of sonar payload including a Raytheon PROSAS PS60-6000 Synthetic Aperture Sonar to enhance its ocean-bottom mapping capability.
• Swath: 6,234 ft (1,900 m)
• Resolution: 0.3 ft (10cm)
• Altitude: 328 ft (100 m)

XLUUV Summary
A fully autonomous vehicle featuring:
• Weight in Air: 50 tons (45,360 kg)
• Envelope (no payload): 51 ft x 8.5 ft x 8.5 ft (15.5 m x 2.6 m x 2.6 m)
• Envelope (with a 34 ft payload section): 85 ft (25.9 m)
• Maximum Depth: 11,000 ft (3,000 m)
• Maximum Speed: 8.0 kts (14.8 km/hr)
• Minimum Speed: 2.5 kts (4.63 km/hr)
• Optimal Speed: 2.5 - 3 kts (4.6 – 5.6 km/hr)
• Range between recharges: ~150 nm (~280 km) at nominal speed

https://www.boeing.com/resources/boeingdotcom/defense/autonomous-systems/echo-voyager/echo_voyager_product_sheet.pdf

Or really really fast. Who knows.

Shiny.

These seem to be operational prototypes.
I'm sure the next versions will change.
As it stands the Orcas are roughly the size of a semi-truck van trailer. That opens up transport options via land, sea, and air.

2000 cubic feet of space inside opens up lots of possibilities for assorted mission packages, weapon loads,etc.

The price is outstanding and will hopefully remain low.

4 is cool but spending a Billion to add a thousand of them to the fleet could be freaking sweet.

Would be cool to see them painted black and white to emulate living Orcas.

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The SO is working procurement for part of the project... She’s BDS.

What's the over/under on it running into another submarine?

They’re a bit behind the K129

I guess no sailer’s coats to betray the fact that they were surfaced this time though.

So true!  Demand an infil directly to the x, get everybody shooting at you, then scream for an immediate exfil in the middle of their self generated shit storm.

Got the t-shirt.

Numbers game? https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/sinking-feeling-us-navy-losing-its-submarine-advantage-china-44502

Approx 10mil apiece for first articles?

With that list of cabapilities?

Not only is that dirt fucking cheap, it has the makings of a disruptive technology.

Not every turd world shit hole sells hair gel and has a publisher bro.

Virginia Class + Orca + SSNX?

Sounds like we're playing it smart.

An interesting way to point out China’s own greatest weakness.

Playing blockade games would be failing to think strategically.

So develop a "dumb" propulsion package to tow it around at much higher speeds.

In short, because of the Nuclear Power Mafia.  Plus, for blue water ops, nuclear boats are just far more capable.  This thing's 8 kt max submerged speed reinforces that.  Plus, what's the batter life at 8 kts?  Probably not terrifically long, same as the old diesel boats.

Hopefully, I’m honestly more afraid of the House Armed Services Committee than China

It's going to be awful whenever the Democrats take the Senate back.

(Not being defeatist, it'll just eventually happen.)

Crazy I'd be rooting for corrupt politicians and lobbying in such a case.

Ummmmm...... I have some bad news for you.

Sorry I meant Senate. I should read more.

It probably makes whale noises as some sort of coded message  

Sorry?

I was talking to a guy (who lets say, knows corruption) recently about corruption in the DOD. He said, "the US government would rather lose a war than let a good scandal go to waste."

Its easy to blame the Nuclear Power Mafia with some degree of truth, but a US D/E boat has to make the business case that its better than the nuke, not just cheaper.

Some ex marine hump back whale will try to mate with it.

I agree.  That's why I said that for blue water ops, nukes are far more capable.

In green water inside the 100 fm curve - the places where nuclear boats really don't like to go - smaller DE boats have a significant edge.  Starting with they're quite happy operating there, among the diesel powered commercial traffic, and can attack within the LLSA outside ports or in choke points.  That's their case, but the PTB in the DoN aren't real interested in green water ops... unless it's about Little Crappy Ships.

Then add in that we don't have any submariners that are not Nukes anymore - pretty sure the last one retired in the mid 80s.  Spending a MST of cash on nuclear power training, then sub school, and then assigning that officer to a Diesel boat really doesn't make fiscal sense.

There are all sorts of significant Generating Force requirements that make nuke vs. D/E somewhat an either/or proposition for the US Shipbuilding Plan.

That said, I wouldn't be completely against buying 3-6 Soryu-Class SSKs (probably at 550 million per boat) and having them manned by the Active/Reserve force. Certainly they would be useful in all sorts of places.