Boeing builds a $43 million killer whale that may transform combat at sea

Imagine a remake of the 1990 film “The Hunt for Red October” with a submarine run by a computer instead of Sean Connery. Or overhauling 2000’s “U-571” with a vessel that relies on artificial intelligence rather than Matthew McConaughey.

The results might be pure fantasy, but they offer a glimpse into a potential reality that grew more likely when Boeing, a defense contractor better known for planes than shipbuilding, won a $43 million Navy contract this month to develop four extra-large unmanned undersea vehicles.