Americans will build robotic stingrays of two types. Yesterday, December 21, the press service of the Agency for Advanced Defense Projects (DARPA) of the US Department of Defense announced the signing of a contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and Martin Defense Group to develop prototypes of underwater drones.
The Manta Ray program was launched in 2020 to create autonomous underwater drones capable of performing various tasks. This year, the contractors completed the first phase of the program, during which they proved the maturity of technologies and the ability of the drone to move independently under water, while maintaining high autonomy.
Visualization of the Manta Ray project
As part of the second phase, Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and Martin Defense Group will have to build fully functional prototypes capable of carrying a payload. If the Manta Ray program succeeds, then in the near future the American navy may have full-fledged underwater combat units operating with minimal human intervention.
Previously, Northrop Grumman has already demonstrated a render of its development. In addition, robotic underwater stingrays are being developed in Turkey and China.
