Boeing Delivers First Orca XLUUV to U.S. Navy

Boeing’s Orca is its new class of autonomous submarine, able to can perform long duration critical missions aiming to achieve undersea maritime dominance in changing environments By Abi Wylie / 28 Dec 2023

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV)

Discover cutting-edge solutions from 4 leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Boeing Delivers First Orca XLUUV to U.S. Navy
Follow DA

Boeing has delivered the first Orca Extra Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) to the U.S Navy following acceptance testing completion this month. 

The XLUUV, designated by the Navy as “Orca,” is a new class of autonomous submarine that can perform long duration critical missions to achieve undersea maritime dominance in changing environments and contested waters.

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.

Orca is the result of more than 50 years of Boeing experience building and operating undersea vehicles. In 2012 Boeing initiated the design and development of Echo Voyager, a proof-of-concept XLUUV that began at-sea testing in 2017 and was a precursor to the US Navy’s Orca XLUUV competition. 

Echo Voyager – the world’s only vehicle of its size and capability – has spent over 10,000 hours operating at sea and transited hundreds of nautical miles autonomously.

Ann Stevens, Boeing Maritime and Intelligence Systems Vice President, said; “This is the culmination of more than a decade of pioneering work, developing a long-range, fully autonomous undersea vehicle with a large payload capacity that can operate completely independently of a host vehicle. 

“I’ve had the distinct pleasure of witnessing our team bring this first-of-its-kind capability to life, and I’m proud of their innovation, perseverance and unwavering commitment which has yielded the most advanced and capable UUV in the world. With the Navy’s partnership, we look forward to continuing to deliver this game-changing vehicle to the fleet.”

Posted by Abi Wylie Edited by Abigail Wylie, Editor and Copywriter experienced in digital media with a keen interest in ocean science technology. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Latest USV Platform Enables Versatile Operations in Contested Waters

SubSea Craft’s MARS is a rapidly developed, modular uncrewed surface vessel built to enhance maritime operations with scalable, multi-mission capability and autonomous deployment

May 20, 2025
New Line of Kinetic-Capable Unmanned Surface Vessels Introduced

Red Cat Holdings enters the maritime autonomy market with a new line of combat-proven USVs, expanding its multi-domain unmanned systems for naval operations

May 20, 2025
Rugged Military Computing Solutions Being Showcased at AFCEA 2025

Getac's latest rugged military computing technologies will be presented at AFCEA 2025, highlighting the company's technical solutions across military use-cases

May 19, 2025
Triad RF: Advancing Radio Testing with T006 & ARTS Automation

Triad RF’s T006 Rack and ARTS automate high-power radio testing, delivering faster, more consistent validation with improved isolation and performance validated through flight testing for mission-critical applications

May 19, 2025
Swedish Army Advances C2 Digitization with MilDef Technology

MilDef has been commissioned by FMV to deliver IT equipment that supports the Swedish Army’s digitization and enhanced command-and-control (C2) capabilities

May 19, 2025
Meltio’s Metal 3D Printing Technology Introduced in Mexico

Meltio’s wire-laser metal 3D printing technology has been introduced in Mexico through a strategic alliance with Sitres Latam, Alar, and Tecnológico de Monterrey, with applications spanning industry, education, and research

May 16, 2025

Featured Content

New Line of Kinetic-Capable Unmanned Surface Vessels Introduced

Red Cat Holdings enters the maritime autonomy market with a new line of combat-proven USVs, expanding its multi-domain unmanned systems for naval operations

May 20, 2025
Next-Gen Group 2 UAS Enters Production with Extended Endurance & Upgrades

Aurora Flight Sciences upgrades the SKIRON-X Group 2 UAS with greater versatility and tactical mission endurance, as well as announcing the hydrogen-powered SKIRON-XLE variant

May 13, 2025
Discover ANELLO’s SiPhOG™ for GNSS-Denied Navigation at XPO25

CEO of ANELLO Photonics, Dr. Mario Paniccia, will present at Xponential 2025 on the company's SiPhOG-based inertial navigation technology in GPS-denied and GNSS-contested environments.

May 09, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.