Northrop Grumman, the multinational aerospace and defense technology company, has for the past four years been developing a massive uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) called Manta Ray for the US military.

In 2020, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a military research and development agency, released a request for proposals on a new class of UUV that is capable of performing long-duration, long-range and payload-capable undersea missions without human supervision.

Northrop Grumman answered the call with a type of UUV called an extra-large glider, which features a propulsion mechanism that includes an hydrodynamic hull and a buoyancy system that enables the craft to glide forward using minimal power to undertake long missions.

Taking its name from the massive ‘winged’ fish, which can grow up to nine metres wide, Manta Ray will voyage to the depths of the ocean for extended missions, which humans are incapable of doing.

Earlier this year, Northrop Grumman put its full-scale...