Boeing testing cutting-edge submarine off Palos Verdes coast

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (KABC) -- There's been a strange sighting off the Palos Verdes coast. It looks a little like a futuristic version of the Loch Ness monster.

But upon closer examination, it turns out to be a 50-ton, 51-foot-long monstrous underwater robot. It's the Boeing "Echo Voyager."

The unmanned undersea vehicle is now going through several months of trials at sea before setting off on its own with no crew and no tether to a support ship.

Powered by a hybrid electric battery system, it periodically surfaces to snorkel depth to recharge its batteries by raising a mast.

The Echo Voyager can reach an impressive depth of 11,000 feet.

It will be used for months-long surveillance and reconnaissance missions for defense, commercial and scientific customers.