Underwater Arms Race Puts US Naval Supremacy at Risk
Summary
Autonomous underwater vessels could change naval warfare, but the United States faces technical and industrial challenges in developing them. China has displayed several large underwater drones, while U.S. programs have faced delays and remain at different stages of development.Key Facts
- Underwater vessels must limit communication with operators to work quietly over long distances, and distance also constrains how much data they can transmit.
- Bruce Jones said the United States has no major operational program for large-scale underwater vehicles.
- The Boeing Orca extra-large underwater vehicle program had faced about five years of delays as of a July Government Accountability Office report.
- DARPA’s Manta Ray vehicle is being designed by Northrop Grumman and is expected to reach operational capacity in about a decade.
- In March, Anduril Industries was selected by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit and the U.S. Navy to produce an extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle.
- China displayed its HSU100 and AJX002 extra-large underwater vehicles at a People’s Liberation Army parade in September 2025.
- China’s 40,000-ton Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan carried out its first launch and recovery of a stealthy aerial drone, according to the Chinese navy.
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