New stealth technology could be coming to the Navy: Weapon of the week

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

CHANCES ARE WHEN YOU THINK OF STEALTH TECHNOLOGY, YOU THINK OF AIRCRAFT LIKE THE B-2 BOMBER, OR MAYBE THE NOW-RETIRED F-117 NIGHTHAWK.

BUT FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS THE NAVY HAS BEEN WORKING TO MAKE STEALTH TECHNOLOGY A PART OF HOW THEY OPERATE AS WELL. THE MOST NOTABLE IS THE ZUMWALT CLASS DESTROYER. BUT IT COULD SOON HAVE SOME COMPANY.

MEET THE MANTA-4. BUILT BY THE KRAKEN TECHNOLOGY GROUP, THE MANTA IS DESCRIBED AS AN UNDERWATER STEALTH DRONE.

CLASSIFIED AS A USSV, OR UNCREWED SURFACE-SUBSURFACE VESSEL, IT LOOKS A BIT LIKE A HIGH-TECH FOIL SURFBOARD. A PROMOTIONAL VIDEO FROM KRAKEN TECHNOLOGY DETAILS SOME OF THE VESSEL’S ATTRIBUTES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ELECTRONIC WARFARE, AND CARRYING A PAYLOAD, LIKE A TRADITIONAL COMMERCIAL DRONE. WITH A TOP SPEED OF 45 KNOTS OR A LITTLE MORE THAN 50 MILES PER HOUR, THE MANTA HAS A RANGE OF 300 MILES.

ENGINEERED WITH AN AERODYNAMIC AND HYDRODYNAMIC HULL THAT CAN CRUISE THE OPEN WATER ABOVE THE SURFACE, UNTIL IT’S TIME TO TAKE COVER. THAT’S WHERE THE STEALTH COMES IN. SLIPPING BENEATH THE WAVES, LEAVING BEHIND A LOW ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE, AND POTENTIALLY LINKING UP WITH OTHER PRE-STAGED MANTAS TO HELP DELIVER A DEVASTATING ATTACK.

WHILE THAT DEMONSTRATION EXISTED ONLY IN TWO DIMENSIONS, THE MANTA-4 RECENTLY GOT SOME REAL-WORLD WORK. PARTNERING WITH THE U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND FOR A TECHNICAL EXPERIMENTATION EVENT. ACCORDING TO A POST ON THE COMPANY’S FACEBOOK PAGE, THE DECEMBER GET-TOGETHER WAS SUCCESSFUL.

WHILE THERE’S NO OFFICIAL WORD FROM ANYONE ON THE GOVERNMENT SIDE OF THINGS, FEATURES LIKE TEN DAYS OF AUTONOMOUS OPERATIONS, A MODULAR PAYLOAD BAY AND THE ABILITY TO HELP CARRY OUT INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS HAVE MADE IT AN INTRIGUING OPTION FOR THOSE ENGAGED IN NAVAL WARFARE.