Northrop Grumman unveils prototype of spooky new underwater drone [Video]

SALT LAKE CITY — Northrop Grumman has released images of a completed prototype for a new class of autonomous underwater vehicles, as part of the Manta Ray project.

Monday’s release marks a major milestone after two companies were awarded prime contracts in 2020 to build the equivalent of drones, or maybe Roombas, but for underwater use, while finding new ways to harness the ocean’s energy.

Northrop is the largest private sector aerospace and defense employer in Utah, with locations in Brigham City, Clearfield, Magna, Ogden, Roy, Tremonton and Salt Lake City.

A far cry from the powerful solid-state rockets tested in Promontory in Box Elder County, the contract calls for “low-power, high-efficiency undersea propulsion systems,” and low-power methods of sensing the vehicle’s surroundings while remaining undetected, requiring that these vehicles remain independent of existing ports or ships after deployment.

Like a lunar rover operating alone on the surface of the …