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Navy/USMC

Navy Orca XLUUV To Carry 34-Foot Payload Module, Buying 6th Test Vessel

Tuesday, May 31st, 2022

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Navy Orca XLUUV To Carry 34-Foot Payload Module, Buying 6th Test Vessel

The first Orca XLUUV Test Asset System is christened and enters the water during a ceremony on April 28, 2022, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

The Navy’s five Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs) are planned to carry a large payload module once it is active and the service is also buying a sixth vessel for testing, an official said last week. Speaking at the 15th International Mine Technology Symposium on May 25, Capt. Scot Searles, program manager for Unmanned Maritime Systems (PMS 406), said the Orca will have a 34-foot payload module readied after vessel testing is completed. Since 2019, Boeing [BA] has…

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