IndustryTap reported on Boeing’s Echo Ranger 5 in Autonomous Undersea Vehicles (AUVs) Unveil Ocean’s Mysteries in 2013. Now Boeing’s Advanced Technology Program (BATP) has designed and manufactured the Echo Seeker, a larger version of Echo Ranger, at 32 feet in length. Echo Seeker is fully autonomous, capable of reaching 20,000 feet (6,096 m) and staying underwater for up to three days. The new sub was built at Boeing’s Huntington Beach, California facility.
According to Mark Kosko of the Echo Seeker team, “the sub opens up new capabilities for undersea exploration for both commercial and military customers.” Echo Seeker has the most onboard storage space for scientific and military payloads of any submarine created by Boeing thus far, and will improve mission capabilities.
Ranger and Seeker are just the beginning for Boeing. BATP plans to build a full range of autonomous subs and expects that with each new sub, operating expenses and efficiency will improve significantly, making more and more missions possible.
Echo Seeker is put through the paces in a pool in the following video:
