Boeing began testing the underwater drones of Echo Voyager in the open ocean on June 6, warspot.ru reported that a new device, created as part of the XLUUV (extra large unmanned undersea vehicle) program, began testing off the coast of the State of California. Echo Voyager is the largest representative of underwater drones created as part of the XLUUV program. According to the developers, the device length of 15.5 m can be in the open sea for months, performing various tasks in a fully automatic mode. Echo Voyager has already passed the test testing in a special pool, during which the tightness of the device was tested, as well as the efficiency of its main systems. Now the UAV is performing test tasks in the Pacific Ocean - the purpose of the tests is to find out the maximum duration of its autonomous work, as well as to check the "skill" of the computer system to make independent decisions in various situations. According to David Flowers, the head of the XLUUV program, working with a drone under the water differs significantly from the control of an airborne drones or a space satellite, since in the water the transmission of radio signals is difficult. Therefore, it is very important that the automatic control system of XLUUV works flawlessly. According to the developers, Echo Voyager is equipped with a "hybrid rechargeable power system". The manufacturer does not disclose detailed information about the power plant, indicating only that with its help the device can be under the water for months and periodically float up in order to transmit the collected information to the operator using radio equipment. In addition, the submarine is able to independently return to the base, which greatly simplifies its maintenance and does not require the presence of a ship with an escort team. Modular cargo bay Echo Voyager allows you to equip the submarine with various equipment, which makes it universal for military use or scientific research. The development of Boeing is already interested in the US military. It is known that since 2014 DARPA together with Boeing is developing military underwater drones. The project was named Hydra, in the course of its first stage, versions of unmanned aerial vehicles and submarines were transported underwater. In April of this year, the project moved to the second stage - Boeing Corporation received financing of $ 7.6 million to create a working prototype of underwater drones, which can transport already created unmanned vehicles for various purposes (reconnaissance, combat and research).