"Stealth" Boat Could Revolutionize Naval Warfare

NBC Chicago ^ | Aug 30, 2011 | Greg Wilson

[sukhoi-30mki]

Juliet Marine Systems

The Ghost is designed to move very quickly and stealthily through water by generating a layer of gas around its underwater surfaces. Handout photo provided by Juliet Marine Systems Inc.

[org.whodat]

I smell someone cooking bacon. Or is that just a big old slab of pork. Why in the hell do you build something there is no real need for.

[17th Miss Regt]

moves by generating a layer of gas around submerged surfaces, greatly reducing friction.

Think "Squall", the Soviet torpedo.

[taxcontrol]

Super cavitation is noisy and shows up on sonar like a beacon.

[Travis McGee]

Does it fold for stowage and launching from larger platforms?

I wonder how it does in ten+ foot steep (”square”) waves. Is this intended for mild sea states only?

Unless it’s built of welded titanium or something totally unbreakable, I see that fugly craft busting to pieces in rough seas.

And I’m a big fan of ocean-going multi-hulls, (cats and tris) so it’s not that I’m against radical designs.

That prototype does not look seaworthy for the open ocean, not in the waves I’ve been in.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I’ve seen stealthier ore carriers on the Great Lakes.

[Lazamataz]

Unless it’s built of welded titanium or something totally unbreakable, I see that fugly craft busting to pieces in rough seas.

It's made out of Black Box.

You know, a substance that the only part of an aircraft that seems to make it through a crash.

[cuban leaf]

—Super cavitation is noisy and shows up on sonar like a beacon.—

It looks as though they are concerned with radar rather than sonar. And for special ops insertion this could be just the ticket.

That said, though it is stealthy, I could see it in the picture just fine. 8->

[Evil Slayer]

Stuff like this gives the DOD a bad name. Just adds fuel to the fire for more defense cuts.

[sukhoi-30mki]

Since the designer is studying a 150 foot corvette concept, it’s most likely to be envisaged in the fast attack/missile boat role. That would probably mean that it is not meant as a dedicated blue-water platform.

[bjc]

Looks a bit like the Civil War CSS Virginia! Back to the Future?

[GonzoGOP]

I think it is more Darth PBR rather than some new kind of Dreadnought. Good for SEAL team delivery or shooting up the enemy coast line, but not something you are going to take into the deep blue. Heck it is so small it isn't going to be able to handle much of a weapons load for killing big ships.

[DH]

“...through water by generating a layer of gas around its underwater surfaces.”

---

Is this boat for the Mexican Navy? The “gas layer” tends to make me think that it’s for them. I understand the fuel is biodegradable and is BEANS.

[sukhoi-30mki]

Is the DOD providing most of the funds for this project? If its the contractor and international partners, you can’t blame the DOD for this. Then, such a concept does have advantages in a specific brown-water role.

[sukhoi-30mki]

A 45 metre missile boat equipped with 4-8 antiship missiles can make life difficult for a lot of people. It does have lot of potential as an export platform if they get it working.

[GeronL]

The US just retired another stealth boat that was a test-bed.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Why in the hell do you build something there is no real need for."

If they can deliver what they claim, there is a huge need for this. It could take away one of the sub's job of force insertion. This could mean we would need less subs since they would have one less job. Again, if it can deliver what it says it does, this would be huge. The ability to create a more stealthy force insertion. But there are many questions, could this be stowed aboard a larger ship or is it capable of operating on the open waters. From the picture, it does not look capable of open waters operation. Could it be used for river patrol? This article gives just a taste and leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

[Travis McGee]

Riverboats need to run in the dew, like the old jet-drive PBRs. If a boat can’t run in knee-deep water, it’s useless for riverine warfare. At 150’ full size, I don’t think this is for rivers. It’s for bringing specops near a coast in stealth mode. But the sea is unforgiving, and doesn’t care about your training or how much your ride costs. I remember when a stick of ST-6 guys drowned and were never recovered off Greneda. It was a routine linkup, parachuting into the Caribbean to get on a US warship. But the Caribbean really blows, and the waves get a lot bigger than “SEAL DZ” at the mouth of the calm Chesapeake. And superbly trained ST-6 operators died, because the wonks didn’t appreciate King Neptune in their planning.

[Travis McGee]

Any 150 foot ship is meant for the ocean. It’s not for lakes and rivers. And any vessel that ventures on the ocean has to be ready for Sea State Ten. Mariners have learned this the hard way for a thousand years. See my above post about the ST-6 guys who drowned off Greneda because Chesapeake Bay training didn’t square with Caribbean wind and waves.

The same is true of this design. If it can’t handle Force Ten, it’s useless. A 150’ vessel on the ocean cannot always choose its sea state. And it can’t go into “Help me Mr. Wizard!” mode and disappear when the waves get big.

[Travis McGee]

The Swedes and Norwegians are so far ahead of us in this area that it’s pathetic. If any exporting is to be done, it should be us buying from them.

And the Norwegians and Swedes only design patrol boats that can take the punishment of the ocean. They don’t take Chesapeake Bay designs, and then try them on the ocean in big waves.