Boeing, Huntington Ingalls giving boost to Navy UUV program

June 9 (UPI) -- Boeing and shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries are partnering to design and build unmanned undersea vehicles in support of a U.S. Navy program.

The teaming, which will leverage design and production facilities in California, Virginia and Florida, to expand the autonomous paradigm for UUV's for the Navy's Advanced Undersea Prototyping program.

"This partnership provides the Navy a cost-effective, low-risk path to meet the emergent needs that prompted the Navy's Advanced Undersea Prototyping program," said Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, said in a press release. "We are combining Boeing's preeminent UUV maritime engineering team with our nation's leading shipbuilder and Navy technical services company to get operational vehicles to the Navy years ahead of the standard acquisition process."

Boeing is currently testing a large UUV, Echo Voyager. The vehicle is designed for multiple missions and could include a modular payload bay of up to 34 feet. It is fully autonomous, requiring no support vessel for launch or recovery.

"We look forward to a long relationship with Boeing as we embark together to field this unmanned force-multiplier for the Navy," said Andy Green, executive vice president of Huntington Ingalls Industries and president of the company's Technical Solutions division. "I am confident this team will continue redefining the autonomy paradigm for UUVs."