Boeing, HII teaming on giant UUVs

Boeing’s aerospace division is teaming up with Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding to build underwater drones for the Navy. The partnership comes as the Navy begins work on extra large unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) that may change how the military fights. In recent months, Boeing has been pushing its Echo Voyager, a 50-ton autonomous UUV being tested off the coast of California. Different modules will allow various types of missions, like dropping mines, firing missiles or collecting data. The Navy plans to conduct trials with existing UUVs and continue development of new types of technology before formally adding the sub to the fleet. Boeing and HII will work together on UUV projects at design and production facilities in Panama City, Fla.; Huntington Beach, Calif.; and Newport News, Va. (Source: Defense One 06/08/17)