MARTAC T38 Devil Ray Completes 8-Day Unmanned Surface Vehicle Run
MARTAC said its T38 Devil Ray unmanned surface vehicle completed an 8-day autonomous mission off the coast of California. The run tested open-ocean control for a Navy-owned platform without chase boats or escorts, and it pushed the vessel through sea conditions that reached Sea State 5.
T38 Devil Ray Off California
The T38 was owned and operated by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division's Point Mugu Sea Range through its Future Capabilities Office's Blue Water Instrumentation. The mission was meant to advance the Navy's ability to run test and evaluation programs in maritime environments where fixed-position instrumentation is unavailable.
During the underway period, the vessel safely navigated around multiple static and mobile contacts. It averaged just over 4 knots per hour. It also hit burst speed of 50+ knots per hour in short intervals.
400 Nautical Miles Offshore
About 400 nautical miles offshore, the T38 entered a deliberate two-day alternating single-engine operational period. It stayed on station, continued data collection, and executed mission objectives without degradation.
That is the hardest part of the story to dismiss. The vehicle did not just move fast in short bursts. It also kept working when propulsion was intentionally reduced far from shore.
Sea State 5 Endurance Test
Sea conditions averaged Sea State 3 and reached Sea State 5. Wave heights ranged from 1.5 to 4 feet on average and reached 10 feet. The mission also showed that the T38 can exceed 2,400 nautical miles of operational range when it runs at 100% fuel capacity under endurance-focused profiles.
For readers trying to judge the practical result, the open question is not whether the run lasted 8 days. It is how quickly this kind of endurance demonstration turns into a repeatable operational profile for Navy test ranges that lack fixed instrumentation.
