A top-secret US submarine prototype weapon called “Manta Ray” has been spotted by eagle-eyed Google Maps users and remains plainly visible to the internet public.
Satellite photos showing the “Star Wars”-looking vessel docked at Port Hueneme naval base in California went viral Sunday, its unmistakable profile standing out in stark contrast to its dockmates. It uses “efficient, buoyancy-driven gliding to move through the water,” Dr. Kyle Woerner, Manta Ray program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, said in an agency news release. “Our successful, full-scale Manta Ray testing validates the vehicle’s readiness to advance toward real-world operations,” Woerner added. “The craft is designed with several payload bays of multiple sizes and types to enable a wide variety of naval mission sets.”
