So, this is one we picked up from the been-there-done-that set over at Socnet.
Seems as if the Pentagons Office of Force Transformation has developed a space-age naval vessel using so-called M-Hull technology to provide a high-speed, low-draft insertion craft for special operators. Called Stiletto, the nearly 90 foot-long ship is built entirely out of carbon fiber, the biggest U.S. ship constructed with the lightweight material.
The secret to the design which looks more like the type of thing Batman would cruise down the Gotham City river is its hull form, which re-directs the bow wake to cushion the ride. At 40 knots for 500 nautical miles, that could make a big difference on your vertebrae. Manufacturer M-Ship Company says the Stiletto reduces crew shock by up to 50 percent.
But the sci-fi looking ship has its skeptics. Carbon fiber isnt exactly bullet-proof, and when youre inserting a team into enemy waters, ballistic restance is kind of important. The quad-screw propulsion system pumping out 1,650 horses is likely to sound like a B-52 coming in for a landing, and the lack of gun-mounts could concern special operators who rely on heavy firepower to overwhelm their enemy if it comes down to fisticuffs.
Its important to remember, however, that the transformation office is using the ship to experiment with and validate different technologies, tactics and configurations that could translate into future vessels fielded to special operations teams.
Check out an OFT briefing on the Stiletto here.
– Christian
Whatever happened to the ‘stealth ship’
http://www.resonancepub.com/images/stealth_ship.gif
Some ideas work very well in the civilian world.. but unless they make titanium carbon-fiber, there is no way thise idea will get off the.… get out of the dock
Ah yes — The Sea Shadow I believe it was called.
Built by Lockheed Marine Division. Based on the F117 Nighthawk success in the Skunk Works.
Faded away, it did.
Marine Division had part of it’s Ops in Sunnyvale — AKA Silicon Valley and when the Wall came down it folded up too. But, not before they helped build the set for the Water World movie in Hawaii!
Question is, of course, why do we need another iteration when our wars are with 12th century madmen in the sand? Or is it that we will send old Cuban refugees from the 1960’s to invade Cuba from Miami after FeeDell is gone?
I agree. Less technolgy. More old school. DO you realize that the old Colt .45 and M-14 are coming back to the scene. M-14’s being reissued. Old tech works!
Keep the good fight troops!
Semper Fi
nano tubular weaved materials have 100 times the strength of steel. objects on sliding friction are faster than objects in contact with more direct friction . less friction = less resistance . more velocity = less resistance to acceleration . a refined radar deceiving deflective ( invisible ) aerodynamic platform structure gliding on a cushion of air is novel . the M formed under hull is where the nomenlecture of Bat Boat came from .
carbon nano tubular weaved materials are strong. more strong than an aluminium or steel hull. more light weight. cheaper to make the platform with. less energy to propel the boat due to its lessened weight load . more boyant upthrust on water surface . less draft . less drag . mass production = less difficult . just in time supply schedule less restrictive . manufacturing is less cost prohibitive.
I wrote about this boat a few days ago on my blog. It is currently down at Norfolk and I posted a number of pictures that I took of it:
http://instapinch.com/?p=323
Cool little piece of work.
In structural design the key element is usually stiffness hence carbon fiber is good.
In the real world boring ill understood matters like impact strength can be important. Think of hitting a log at 40 knots which was a key factor in removing seaplanes from the equation, now think of a floating container.
Physical data on composite strength is not that easy to obtain and izod or charpy results are a lot more difficult to obtain for carbon fiber because the people selling the stuff realize it is not a pretty picture.
When you see a film of a racing car crash with some degree of integrity remaining you are seeing kevlar holding it together; The carbon fiber having very little impact strength is a fine dust of sharp needles (like asbestos) creating a health hazard for everyone.
“In structural design the key element is usually stiffness hence carbon fiber is good“
Was written by a person.
This statement is wrong.
Carbon fibre has very little stiffness. That is the biggest problem in it’s applicability. Otherwise everything would be built from it.
It is also the problem in it’s design, as structures need to designed for carbon fibre use, with material directions being extremely important.
A big question I have on this subject is the absorption rate of moisture into the carbon fibre. Hence I question the length of time this boat can be used, due to the corrosive sea atmosphere on the coatings that protect moisture ingress.
PS. I’m a structural engineer for an aerospace company… I know a thing or two.
Vstress,
I think the stiffness being referred to is the high modulus of elasticity of the carbon fibre in the tensile direction. The anisotropy of the material is an important design factor, but it can also be a valuable asset when used properly. The problem with a lot of carbon fibre use is the tendency of designers to treat it as “black aluminum”, which turns the anisotropy into a disadvantage.
As far as coatings & water resistance, I think it’s important to note that boats have been built out of fibreglass for decades. Carbon itself has got great corrosion resistance, which is why it’s the material of choice for fuel cell components. Impact resistance is another question, though — work boats tend to be built with aluminum or steel hulls rather than fibreglass for a reason!
carbon nano tubular materials? Not avail. as of yet! Coming soon.
Welcome to last year DefenseTech!
2 bad we cant Rent or charter one.
Great use in a 007 movie.
Love to see off So FL for counterdrug raids & Persian Gulf area.
SE Asia area.
Weapons to add:
MiniGuns
M60
50 cal MG
Mortars
LAWS
Stingers.
20mm cannon.
rocket pods
EW array
Gun lockers for crew.
mini torpedoes.
50mm cannon fwd???
Yeah, I agree, the person misunderstood the term modulus of elasticity and interpreted it as stiffness — don’t worry, I still did it in university, didn’t quite get it till I started working ; )
Moisture absorption was a question I was interested in as carbon fibre naturally absorbs moisture (at least epoxy-carbon fibre composites). In manufacturing specs it has to have a limit to how much moisture it naturally absorbs.
Just intrigued as aircraft have this problem… clearly a boat would be even more vulnerable.
Also… corrosion resistance is very good, yes!
But… you put metal into the equation (ie. a metal bracket that is bonded, or bolted to the composite) and it exacerbates any corrosion on the metal, due to the carbon fibre composites ability to retain water.
It is a major problem in aerospace again… therefore I presume even more so with boats.
Then again, maybe they have developed a method to prevent this absorption to a large degree.
Would be cool to find out!
Where’s the beef? Or in the case of the Stiletto, where is the actual sea trials data. I have yet to see anything posted showing this craft peforms in the way is it is being hyped AT SEA!
Sure the SEALs need a sea boat like this for insertion, but it must be able to operate effectively in the marine environment. Go fast and be steathly is NOT reason enough to buy more of these, yet some congress types want to throw money at M-Ship, why?
I am in the orthopedics industry and am looking for information on a composite of titanium,carbon ‚and kevlar for making lightweight and extremely durable braces for patients who need them .the current technology uses polyeth or leather for containment and stainless steel for support,depending on the size of the supported limb these can weigh anywhere from 2.0 Kg to 7Kg,and in the higher weights they also require more effort to ambulate ‚a tough order for a person trying to recover from a traumatic event
I bet i put a hole in it. It seems to me that we sacrafice defense for speed and firepower for stealth. Mabye just mabye we need to create and develop a new material that is flexiable, moluible, and super dense/strong. mabye its just me.