M80 Stiletto

The M80 Stiletto is a prototype naval ship manufactured by the M Ship Company as an operational experiment for The Pentagon’s Office of Force Transformation. It is notable for its hull design and carbon fiber construction, as well as its networked architecture.

Origins

The M80 Stiletto initiative is part of OFT’s Wolf PAC Distributed Operations Experiment, conducted in association with USSOCOM, to explore command and control of geographically dispersed, but networked, autonomous and semi-autonomous military forces. This new concept of operations by the U.S. Department of Defense is in response to diffuse threats that are perceived as emerging in the future.

Design

The M80 Stiletto and Wolf PAC operational experiment was USN (ret) Vice Admiral Arthur Cebrowski’s vision for a more adaptive force using high numbers of smaller, faster networked vessels designed for littoral, or near shore, waters and costing less to build than conventional ships. The new Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), announced in January 2006, that it is, in effect, implementing the vice admiral’s vision for expeditionary combat in the 21st century.

The convert|88|ft|m|0|sing=on long vessel has a notable hull design, an M-shaped hull that provides a stable yet fast platform for mounting electronic surveillance equipment or weapons, or for conducting special operations. The hull design does not require foils or lifting devices to achieve a smooth ride at high speeds in rough conditions. Its shallow draft means the M80 Stiletto can operate in littoral and riverine environments and potentially allows for beach landings.

The M80 Stiletto is equipped with four C32 1232 kW (1652 HP) engines manufactured by the Caterpillar, Inc., yielding a top speed in excess of convert|50|kn|km/h|-1 and a range of convert|500|nmi|km|-2 when fully loaded. It can be outfitted with jet drives for shallow water operations and beaching.

It has a topside flight deck for launching and retrieving UAVs and a rear ramp that can launch and recover an 11-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat (RIB) or Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV).

It weighs 45 tons unloaded, light enough that it can be hoisted onto a cargo ship, while still able to carry up to 20 tons of cargo in the convert|1996|sqft|m2|-2 of usable interior space. The ship is convert|88.6|ft|m|1 in length, with a width of convert|40|ft|m|0 and a height of convert|18.5|ft|m|1, yet has a draft of only convert|2.5|ft|m|1.

The M80 Stiletto is the largest U.S. naval vessel built using carbon-fiber composite and epoxy building techniques, which yields a very light but strong hull. M Ship Co. leveraged its network of collaborative partners and subcontractors to build the M80 Stiletto in less than one year, with a base cost of roughly $6 million, while a fully equipped boat would be in the $10 million range.

Historically, ships have evolved to become narrower and deeper to achieve speed and stability. The M Hull represents a true breakthrough because its distinctively wide hull captures the vessel’s bow wave and redirects the energy under the hull. The Stiletto’s double-M hull enables the craft to achieve an unequaled ride in rough seas at high speed, which is critical for the Navy SEALS and other Special Operations Forces, because it reduces the G-forces and related injuries these personnel are subjected to during training and on missions.

The Stiletto is being tested by the United States Navy SEALs, who operate small, fast craft in in the rough littoral seas that the vessel is designed to excel in. SEAL teams routinely endure convert|15|mi|km|0|sing=on to convert|25|mi|km|0|sing=on trips through rough seas aboard their V-hulled boats and 11-meter RIBs, which can cause a variety of injuries to the spine, internal organs and extremities.

Operational history

In 2006 and 2007, the Stiletto participated in Trident Warrior exercises, as well as a number of other naval exercises. This included three days of mine-clearing experimentation during Exercise Howler in 2006, when the vessel was operated by the Naval Special Clearance Team-1 (NSCT-1) from the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado.

A key feature of this vessel is that it can set up a network between a special forces team by launching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that relays information between the team and boat. The Stiletto can also carry surveillance UAVs to provide reconnaissance for the SEAL team, and, using a clustered supercomputer on board, will be able to send real-time images to the team on shore.

The Stiletto was selected by Time magazine as one of the Best Inventions of 2006 and one of two inventions in the Armed Forces category. San Diego-based CONNECT named the M80 Stiletto as the Most Innovative New Product for 2006 in the General Technology category.

In 2008, the Stiletto was highlighted for its success in countering drug trafficking along the Gulf Coast.

External links

* [http://www.oft.osd.mil/library/library_files/document_395_Stiletto%20Characteristics.pdf Official Stiletto Principal Characteristics]
* [http://www.oft.osd.mil/initiatives/stiletto/docs.cfm Official project website]
* [http://www.mshipco.com/?page_id=11 M80 Stilleto, from the M Ship Co.]
* [http://www.gizmag.com/go/5151/ Article about testing of Stiletto]
* [http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,128418,00.html Article about Stiletto transforming Navy]
* [http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/09/stiletto-vs-dru.html Article about Stiletto operations against drug trafficking]