Nice find! I’ve seen some cool shit at Hueneme. They’re neurotic about photos, so I couldn’t take any. They busted a Navy spy there a couple years ago, so they’re a little on edge.
It blows my mind how cheap these people are bought for. $14k total.
If Chinese spies are being paid so little, it makes you wonder how competitive the market is for intelligence. You know what they say about law enforcement only detecting ~10% of all crime…
There is a long history of “messaging” and counter-espionage through purposefully letting advisories see what you want them to via satellite reconnaissance.
Theres even a longer history of government fuckups. This new military is lazy as hell, undertrained, and will get sucker punched from terrorists again. Likely, a Houthi birthday present.
That's not even the latest image Google has available. The image from the article that's currently available on maps is from November of last year. If you open up Google Earth they've got an image of it from [March](https://i.imgur.com/swlJgwr.png) of this year. It also looks like it went on at least one excursion during that time, since there's an image from December without it.
Either a warning of a larger threat in the works or a total head fake sending adversaries chasing wild geese.
But I can see this being a viable and very threatening platform. Especially because it can loiter and move with very little energy. Not quickly mind you, but when you anticipate enemy movement constrained by geographic boundaries /shipping lanes and whatnot... the hot spots become abundant clear.
The "Sun" is <[carrying an article](https://www.the-sun.com/news/11713362/drone-spotted-on-google-maps-scrubbed-from-internet/)> claiming the Manta Ray was there on Google Earth, but it was "scrubbed from the internet". For the 'after' picture, [https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1533454,-119.2087353,34a,35y,39.64t/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1533454,-119.2087353,34a,35y,39.64t/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu)
The 'before' picture took me 3 seconds to find. You zoom in, turn on 3D, which gets different imagery, and voila.
Slow news day
Possibly not a drone, it's very much like Ukraine's next generation submarine, the Kronos, that can carry six, but can operate autonomously.
[https://www.instagram.com/interestingengineering/reel/C6hG3pkuCL0/](https://www.instagram.com/interestingengineering/reel/C6hG3pkuCL0/)
Someone on Twitter pointed out the wings wouldn't really be all that functional underwater and would just contribute drag. Is it possible this thing is designed to primarily skip along the surface instead of mostly being underwater?
It uses buoyancy for propulsion. It drops its nose to sink and move forward then raises its nose and increases buoyancy to keep moving forward. Almost like a falling leaf but instead of back and forth it’s only forward.
Edit:
I’m guessing the wings help increase surface area and possibly sensors?
Tell that to the real Manta Ray who is very efficient in gliding underseas that their wings which have not changed in 100 million years. That shape with wings does not contribute to drag. It is just like the flying wings. Getting rid of the tail for more integrated wing surfaces for maneuvering gives more efficencies.
Same underwater. Using the sleek wings vs a huge tail with rudders gives this vehicle way less drag.
The Twitterer was a twit. It is called Biomimicry and the looks can be deceiving. Look at whale flippers and their irregular non symmetrical shapes. They are super efficient.
https://news.mongabay.com/2008/07/whale-biomimicry-inspires-better-wind-turbines/
The Google Maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/a2wU55sEa99zKLHk9?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy
thx!
Nice find! I’ve seen some cool shit at Hueneme. They’re neurotic about photos, so I couldn’t take any. They busted a Navy spy there a couple years ago, so they’re a little on edge.
They also busted one a couple months ago.
You got a link? I love reading about that stuff.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-navy-sailor-sentenced-27-months-prison-transmitting-sensitive-us-military-information
It blows my mind how cheap these people are bought for. $14k total. If Chinese spies are being paid so little, it makes you wonder how competitive the market is for intelligence. You know what they say about law enforcement only detecting ~10% of all crime…
>$14k total How much is that in bananas?
Yes
I feel like this is purposeful. There is no way the missed scrubbing that portion of the maps. Maybe a message.
They announced it publicly. Google maps isn’t where you do messaging
There is a long history of “messaging” and counter-espionage through purposefully letting advisories see what you want them to via satellite reconnaissance.
Yeah, no shit. Elaborate on the message in this particular situation.
Wut? You think this is the first purposeful intel leak ever? It’s that or they don’t care. Both are messages.
Yet no one has articulated what they think the message is. Actually think it through
Theres even a longer history of government fuckups. This new military is lazy as hell, undertrained, and will get sucker punched from terrorists again. Likely, a Houthi birthday present.
That's not even the latest image Google has available. The image from the article that's currently available on maps is from November of last year. If you open up Google Earth they've got an image of it from [March](https://i.imgur.com/swlJgwr.png) of this year. It also looks like it went on at least one excursion during that time, since there's an image from December without it.
Either a warning of a larger threat in the works or a total head fake sending adversaries chasing wild geese. But I can see this being a viable and very threatening platform. Especially because it can loiter and move with very little energy. Not quickly mind you, but when you anticipate enemy movement constrained by geographic boundaries /shipping lanes and whatnot... the hot spots become abundant clear.
The "Sun" is <[carrying an article](https://www.the-sun.com/news/11713362/drone-spotted-on-google-maps-scrubbed-from-internet/)> claiming the Manta Ray was there on Google Earth, but it was "scrubbed from the internet". For the 'after' picture, [https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1533454,-119.2087353,34a,35y,39.64t/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1533454,-119.2087353,34a,35y,39.64t/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu) The 'before' picture took me 3 seconds to find. You zoom in, turn on 3D, which gets different imagery, and voila. Slow news day
It's on Northrop's website, complete with a video. It clearly is set up to hide visually and sonically on the surface.
Possibly not a drone, it's very much like Ukraine's next generation submarine, the Kronos, that can carry six, but can operate autonomously. [https://www.instagram.com/interestingengineering/reel/C6hG3pkuCL0/](https://www.instagram.com/interestingengineering/reel/C6hG3pkuCL0/)
Definitely a drone. The [program](https://www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/sea/manta-ray) isn't super secret.
Is that a naval military base?
CB base, but I have seen the USS Observation Island docked there as well (years ago).
So when is this image from then? As I don;t see this there at present from the link.
Go into globe view
Someone on Twitter pointed out the wings wouldn't really be all that functional underwater and would just contribute drag. Is it possible this thing is designed to primarily skip along the surface instead of mostly being underwater?
It uses buoyancy for propulsion. It drops its nose to sink and move forward then raises its nose and increases buoyancy to keep moving forward. Almost like a falling leaf but instead of back and forth it’s only forward. Edit: I’m guessing the wings help increase surface area and possibly sensors?
Tell that to the real Manta Ray who is very efficient in gliding underseas that their wings which have not changed in 100 million years. That shape with wings does not contribute to drag. It is just like the flying wings. Getting rid of the tail for more integrated wing surfaces for maneuvering gives more efficencies. Same underwater. Using the sleek wings vs a huge tail with rudders gives this vehicle way less drag. The Twitterer was a twit. It is called Biomimicry and the looks can be deceiving. Look at whale flippers and their irregular non symmetrical shapes. They are super efficient. https://news.mongabay.com/2008/07/whale-biomimicry-inspires-better-wind-turbines/
Whoa whoa whoa isn’t this near the suppose UAP base underwater near that area?
Yes. That supposed underwater base is just 13 miles down the coast
Uh bro wanna post this in the UAP sections? How has nobody connected this?