The Boeing Company (BA), iRobot Corporation (IRBT): Is This the End of the Aircraft Carrier?

Who might build such a super vessel for DARPA? Key military shipbuilders Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc (NYSE:HII) and General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE:GD) are the most likely suspects, of course — they being the two companies charged with building the nation’s nuclear submarine fleet already.

But in the sphere of robotic submarines in particular, well, several companies have tried their hands at building UUVs of late. Oceaneering International (NYSE:OII) has been building remote-controlled submersibles for years. Smaller iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ:IRBT), too, has been making headway underwater with sales of its Seaglider UUV. Probably the biggest player in this nascent space, however, is The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), whose Echo Ranger robo-sub is already bigger than anything the competition has to offer — and perhaps even big enough to begin scaling it up into a prototype of DARPA’s Hydra.

Boeing Echo Ranger at night, Source: Boeing.

For the time being it’s a work in progress, sure. But one day, one of these companies just might wind up building the future backbone of the U.S. Navy.

The article Is This the End of the Aircraft Carrier? originally appeared on Fool.com is written by Rich Smith.

Fool contributor Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends iRobot and Oceaneering International and owns shares of General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII).

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