The US Navy has developed a silent underwater drone

The United States Navy has completed the testing of an experimental unmanned submarine vehicle that mimics the appearance and movement of a Bluefin tuna at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia on Thursday, one of a handful of new creations that have been brought forth by the Navy’s Rapid Innovation Cell (CRIC).

Known as GhostSwimmer, the robotic drone is a part of Project NEMO, a military experiment that’s meant to explore the potential for unmanned submarine vehicles in the Navy. The drone was designed to be able to move through water and make tight turns without creating any noise, making it ideal for surveillance and reconnaissance missions conducted by the Navy.

“GhostSwimmer will allow the Navy to have success during more types of missions while keeping divers and Sailors safe,” said Michael Rufo, director of Boston Engineering’s Advanced Systems Group, which is assisting the CRIC with the project. “It swims just like a fish does by oscillating its tail fin back and forth. The unit is a combination of unmanned systems engineering and unique propulsion and control capabilities.”

The five-foot-long drone weighs in at about 100 pounds, and moves in much the same way that a large fish does, meaning that it appears almost indistinguishable from a large fish or small shark while it’s in the water. It can operate autonomously and silently for long periods of time, and has already been used to collect data on tides, currents, wakes and weather conditions.

“This project and others that we are working on at the CRIC are important because we are harnessing the brainpower and talents of junior Sailors,” said Captain Jim Loper, department head for Concepts and Innovation at Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC), as quoted by Jalopnik. “The opportunity for a young Sailor who has a good idea to get that idea heard, and to get it turned into action, is greater [now] than any other time in our Navy’s history.”