The Manta Ray XLUUV uses buoyancy propulsion, allowing near-silent underwater travel with no crew or fuel resupply.
Sectors & Industries
October 17, 2025
Table of Contents
Imagine a submarine that doesn't need a crew, doesn't need a nearby ship, and can vanish beneath the ocean for months—gliding silently like a sea creature with no engine noise. That’s the promise behind DARPA’s new Manta Ray project, a next-generation underwater drone designed to reshape naval warfare.
The Manta Ray is no ordinary drone. It’s an XLUUV—Extra-Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle—weighing over 30 tons with a wingspan of approximately 14 meters (about 45 feet). Its design mimics the shape of a real manta ray to maximize hydrodynamic efficiency, reducing drag and allowing it to silently cut through the water.
But what truly sets it apart is how it moves.
Instead of relying on traditional propulsion systems, the Manta Ray adjusts its buoyancy to glide forward—similar to how a glider sails through the sky. It compresses seawater to sink and releases it to rise, creating forward motion without generating significant acoustic signatures. Small propellers are used only when course corrections are needed, keeping noise levels incredibly low.
This ultra-quiet operation turns the Manta Ray into a ghost beneath the waves. There are no noisy propellers or sonar pulses. Its gliding motion, silent by design, allows it to operate undetected across vast distances.
The body is covered in anti-biofouling coatings to prevent algae or barnacles from forming—an issue that could compromise its stealth during extended missions. It can even anchor itself to the seafloor and enter a dormant state, waiting in silence until it’s time to act.
This gives the Manta Ray a wide range of tactical uses—from long-term surveillance and undersea mapping to mine detection and more classified missions.
DARPA built the Manta Ray with a modular design. It can be disassembled, shipped in standard containers, and reassembled at remote docks—no drydock or naval base required. That makes deployment fast, flexible, and discreet.
Its payload capacity of up to 10 tons allows it to carry advanced sensors, communications equipment, decoys, or even launch smaller autonomous drones. It’s essentially a mobile underwater mothership.
DARPA’s goal is clear: build a persistent, autonomous presence in contested waters without risking human lives or needing constant fuel resupply.
Two main contractors have developed Manta Ray prototypes:
Several research institutions are also involved:
Altogether, these partners focused on delivering a system that can operate independently for long durations—without surface support or refueling.
DARPA has spent roughly $40–50 million per prototype, but the true value lies in the strategic shift this technology represents.
If adopted, Manta Ray-class vehicles could:
The U.S. Navy is moving toward a hybrid manned-unmanned fleet, and the Manta Ray fits squarely into this vision. Persistent, stealthy, and self-sufficient, it offers a glimpse into a future where dominance beneath the sea doesn't require a crew—or even a command center nearby.
DARPA’s Manta Ray project signals a turning point in undersea warfare. By blending stealth, autonomy, and endurance, it introduces a new category of unmanned naval power—one that doesn’t just supplement manned submarines, but could eventually lead missions of its own. As tensions rise in the Pacific and Arctic, underwater superiority may no longer hinge on submariners—but on the quiet gliders patrolling the depths, unseen and unheard.
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