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engine driver have assembled an autonomous submersed drone pipe that the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA ) plans to use for long - mountain chain missions in the ocean , pic show .

dub " Manta Ray , " the drone is modeled after filter - feeding fish of the same name with diamond - shaped bodies and wing - like tailfin . The paradigm , project and built by the aerospace and defense companyNorthrop Grumman , is an extra - large glider capable of operating foresightful - continuance , payloaded missions without needing on - board human support and criminal maintenance .

A full-size prototype of Manta Ray, a new class of uncrewed underwater vehicle, is assembled in Northrop Grumman’s Annapolis facility.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) completed assembly of a full-size uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) prototype known as Manta Ray.

Once deploy , the drone could also make unnecessary get-up-and-go by anchoring itself to the Davy Jones’s locker and hibernating in a low - mogul mode .

" I ’m excited to repost one of the first pictures of Manta Ray fully assembled in our Annapolis installation , " Todd Leavitt , the vice president of naval and oceanic organization at Northrop Grumman , write in aLinkedIn postresharing the company ’s announcement .

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DARPA launch the Manta Ray political platform in 2020 to improve submerged fomite figure , include developing techniques to increase consignment mental ability and conserve vitality . The agencyinitially choose three contractor — Northrop Grumman , Martin Defense Group LLC and Metron Inc. — but the latter dropped out in late 2021 . Since then , Northrop Grumman and Martin Defense Group LLC have each developed singular prototypes of the drone for in - pee demonstrations and testing .

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Northrop Grumman ’s Manta Ray prototype integrates several unique lineament to support DARPA ’s vision of creating " strategical surprise , " the company said on itswebsite . These include self-sufficiency , carry capacity for equipment to support different missions , energy - hold open functions and modularity — meaning the purpose can be taken apart and reassemble . The drone also fit into five received shipping containers , meaning it can be transported and deploy worldwide .

Manta Ray could become a vital tool for underwater military surgical procedure and " is unambiguously position itself to at the same time acquaint a new class of underwater vehicle while kick in primal component technologies to other full of life undersea programs,“Kyle Woerner , the program manager for Manta Ray at DARPA , say in a2021 statement .

Digital rendition of a four legged robot with a human on its back.

a head-on photograph of the X-37B space plane on a runway at night

The oddity of an octopus riding a shark.

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Three-dimensional rendering of an HIV virus

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