| The M80 Stiletto is a prototype naval ship manufactured by the M Ship Company as an operational experiment for the Pentagons Office of Force Transformation. It is an example of the next generation of military vessels that combines new materials (carbon fiber) with a networked architecture and a breakthrough hull design. The M80 Stiletto is now under the command of the Department of Defense and has participated in Trident Warrior joint-force exercises as well as tests conducted by the US Navy SEALs off the California coast. Although not intended to become operational, the Stiletto was deployed to Colombia to help fight the US war on drugs and made a high-speed, shallow-water drug interdiction that resulted in the capture of 1800 lbs. of cocaine. The Stiletto is a radical new hull platform that was developed for high-speed military missions in the shallow water areas of the littoral, near-shore waters in support of USN (ret) Vice Admiral Arthur Cebrowskis vision of a brown-water navy for expeditionary combat in the 21st century. No other hull compares to its speed, ride quality, payload capability and unmanned vehicle support. The Stiletto, a twin M-hull vessel, is 88 ft in length with a 40 ft beam, providing a rectangular deck area equivalent to a conventional displacement craft 160 ft in length. The vessel's draft fully loaded is 3 feet and is designed for a speed of 50-60 knots. Its superior performance is based on M Ship Co.'s proprietary, globally patented M-hull ... |
