Top-Secret US Aquatic Drone 'Manta Ray' Spotted on Google Maps

[Social Media]

 

In a surprising revelation, a top-secret US Navy submarine prototype, known as the "Manta Ray," has been spotted by keen-eyed users on Google Maps, revealing the sophisticated aquatic drone to the public. The vessel, which has drawn comparisons to Star Wars spacecraft due to its futuristic design, was seen docked at Port Hueneme naval base in California, sparking widespread interest and intrigue.

 

Satellite images of the Manta Ray, which is part of a cutting-edge naval project developed by Northrop Grumman, went viral over the weekend. The vessel's sleek and smooth profile stood out against other docked ships, making it easily identifiable even from satellite view on both Google Maps and Google Earth.

 

 

The Manta Ray is named after the sea creature for its streamlined design and capability to anchor itself on the ocean floor while operating in low-power mode. This autonomous underwater drone is designed to operate for extended periods without needing refueling, thanks to its efficient buoyancy-driven gliding system, which allows it to traverse the ocean depths with minimal energy consumption.

 

Dr. Kyle Woerner, Manta Ray program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), highlighted the significance of the vessel in a press release. "Our successful, full-scale Manta Ray testing validates the vehicle’s readiness to advance toward real-world operations," Woerner stated. "The craft is designed with several payload bays of multiple sizes and types to enable a wide variety of naval mission sets."

 

 

One of the standout features of the Manta Ray is its modular design. This allows the drone to be disassembled and transported using ordinary shipping containers, bypassing the need for dedicated port facilities and enhancing its deployment flexibility. The Navy has spent over three months testing the Manta Ray off the coast of Southern California, demonstrating its capabilities and potential applications.

 

The development of the Manta Ray is seen as a strategic move by the US Navy to counteract the growing underwater capabilities of adversaries like Russia and China. Both countries have been advancing their own underwater drone technologies. Russia, in particular, has claimed that its underwater drones can cover ranges of up to 6,200 miles, can be armed with nuclear warheads, and can achieve speeds of up to 100 knots (approximately 115 mph).

 

 

The sighting of the Manta Ray on Google Maps underscores the increasing visibility and public awareness of top-secret military technology in the digital age. Despite its classified nature, the vessel's appearance on a publicly accessible platform highlights the challenges of maintaining secrecy in an era where satellite imagery and digital mapping tools are widely available.

 

While the US Navy has not officially commented on the Google Maps sighting, the Manta Ray’s public exposure raises questions about operational security and the measures taken to safeguard advanced military technologies. Nonetheless, the Manta Ray represents a significant leap forward in underwater drone technology, offering new capabilities and strategic advantages for the US Navy in its ongoing efforts to maintain maritime superiority.

 

As the Manta Ray progresses towards real-world operations, its potential applications and impact on naval warfare will likely continue to be a topic of significant interest and discussion within defense circles and the public domain.

 

 

Credit: New York Post 2024-06-26

 

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[Tug]

Very cool neat stuff!

[steve187]

the future has arrived

[shdmn]

So according to the story this is top secret stuff that shouldn't be public, but the post also includes a youtube video, with close-ups, produced by Northrup Grumman.  🤔

Edited Tuesday at 11:32 PM by shdmn

[herfiehandbag]

If it is that secret, haven't they heard of cam nets!

 

There again, as someone has already pointed out, if it is so secret why a manufacturers press release?

[Tug]

1 hour ago, herfiehandbag said:

If it is that secret, haven't they heard of cam nets!

 

There again, as someone has already pointed out, if it is so secret why a manufacturers press release?

I’m sure it will slip glide away ……soon all will forget as it goes about its business gathering information and hopefully mapping and other scientific things very cool and looks stealthy to!!

[Purdey]

Looks kind of familiar.

[balo]

It's like science fiction, it should be possible to launch it in the air also or maybe even in space.  Maybe in a 100 years time. 

 

[billd766]

7 hours ago, steve187 said:

the future has arrived

I thought that it was familiar somehow.

 

My memory threw up the name and and internet search did the rest.

 

From 1964. 

 

youtube.com/watch?v=rPu9mLfLoOA

 

Filmed in Supermarionation

Edited Wednesday at 07:08 AM by billd766

[impulse]

Won't they be disappointed if they find out it's just a movie prop?

 

[Purdey]

So secret there's a manufacturer's video too.

[john donson]

send some to ukraine...lol

[CanadaSam]

5 hours ago, balo said:

It's like science fiction, it should be possible to launch it in the air also or maybe even in space.  Maybe in a 100 years time. 

 

In 100 years time?   Try 10 years!!!

 

A hundred years ago, we were using horses to get around!

[thaipo7]

16 hours ago, Tug said:

Very cool neat stuff!

Wow  I thought you would be against it since this is good for the US to have.

[Tug]

2 hours ago, john donson said:

send some to ukraine...lol

You do realize that the Ukrainian armed forces have destroyed 50% of putins Black Sea fleet with us/drones heck it wouldn't surprise me one bit if there allready there

37 minutes ago, thaipo7 said:

Wow  I thought you would be against it since this is good for the US to have.

Why on earth would you say something like that?are you getting into the bong water again?

[balo]

5 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

 

In 100 years time?   Try 10 years!!!

 

A hundred years ago, we were using horses to get around!

 

 

Unfortunately it's not that simple.  When I was a kid I was expecting flying cars and robots everywhere, but instead we have digital technology which is nice but not the same. 

Also since we landed on the surface of the moon not a lot has happened. Yes we managed to land some sort of space craft on Mars but not much to cheer about.   

 

[still kicking]

19 hours ago, shdmn said:

So according to the story this is top secret stuff that shouldn't be public, but the post also includes a youtube video, with close-ups, produced by Northrup Grumman.  🤔

If Julian Assange did post this he would go to jail.

[shdmn]

14 minutes ago, still kicking said:

If Julian Assange did post this he would go to jail.

Why do you feel the need to inject your espionage convicted felon hero into a totally unrelated conversation?

Edited Wednesday at 06:50 PM by shdmn

[thaibeachlovers]

9 hours ago, thaipo7 said:

Wow  I thought you would be against it since this is good for the US to have.

Why? It's supposedly autonomous, so it's as likely to go Terminator as obey it's orders.

Do you really want a load of autonomous kill bots in the ocean, that you might be sailing on?

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, balo said:

 

 

Unfortunately it's not that simple.  When I was a kid I was expecting flying cars and robots everywhere, but instead we have digital technology which is nice but not the same. 

Also since we landed on the surface of the moon not a lot has happened. Yes we managed to land some sort of space craft on Mars but not much to cheer about.   

 

In case you hadn't noticed we do have robots everywhere. They just don't look like the ones in comics.

[CanadaSam]

We also have flying cars.