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Washington, D.C. (January 30, 2025): The U.S. Navy has announced plans to establish a network of underwater drones which is making America’s adversaries very nervous. In this photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman, a Manta Ray prototype submerges during initial ocean testing. This ray-shaped uncrewed drone is designed to operate independently with limited human intervention for long periods of time. The vessel is capable of conducting surveillance or it can carry a variety of missiles for offensive operations.

The Navy envisions a network of permanently submerged drone ships to continuously patrol the depths. When not on patrol, the Manta can anchor itself to the sea floor and “hibernate” at low power. The craft uses the ocean’s own energy to propel itself, or glide, through the water allowing it to roam the seas indefinitely. The Manta uses the ocean’s thermal gradient, or the difference in temperature between warm water at the surface and the cold water below, to generate electricity. In addition to harvesting the power of the ocean, the Manta uses variable buoyancy to go up or down and small propellors to make turns. If under attack, the Manta can escape by descending to depths humans cannot.