[Onkel Neal]

Construction is nearly complete on DARPA's crazy submarine-hunting drone

DARPA estimates that use of the vessel would cost drastically less than that of a typical naval destroyer, operating on roughly $15k to $20k per day — compared to around $700k per day for a traditional warship. The agency also noted how the drone has the ability to carry a larger payload than conventional ship-launched surface vehicles, and also possesses the capacity to operate entirely on its own, launching and returning to a pier without any kind of human intervention. Because of this, a companion ship isn’t required, which saves even more time and money.