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.
A stealth boat that moves through water at high
speeds and with near invisibility could revolutionize the Navy's ability
to carry out special operations on water.
The craft, called The
Ghost, moves by generating a layer of gas around submerged surfaces,
greatly reducing friction. It's unique design makes it ideal for special
operations, according to DiscoveryNews. The ship can reach speeds of 60
miles per hour and has a shape designed to reduce its visibility to
radar, similar to the Navy's "Sea Shadow" project of the 1980s.
Gregory Sancoff, president
and chief executive officer of Juliet Marine, said the U.S. government
is interested and his company is working with a defense contractor to
build a 150-foot model. The friction reducing gas technology, called
supercavitation, works by generating a low-pressure zone around the
ship's surface.
The Ghost keeps a low radar profile the same way stealth planes do, by making the radar waves bounce off of its surface.
Sancoff said The Ghost is
ideal for missions close to coasts, such as getting special operations
teams into and out of areas quickly. It could also be deployed against
pirates and even used to attack on aircraft carriers and destroyers.
Eric Wertheim, analyst at the U.S. Naval Institute,
told DiscoveryNews the boat's makers must show it can do what a
submarine can't.
"This is a tough budget
time to be introducing any technology that isn't being specifically
called for by the Navy," he said. "You have to answer the question of
what is the need not being met."
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