Interceptor
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You can't attack what you can't pick up on
radar -- and new designs in vessels may increase the stealth capabilities of the world's surface fleets.
Sneak in below enemy radar; don't let 'em know you're there until it's too late. This has been the guiding principle behind stealth technology. Since the invention of radar, military technology has pursued methods and hardware designs to help give the good guys the drop on the bad guys before the bad guys can detect them. Using stealth in the air is not a new concept; the Air Force got the early jump with the U-2 spy plane in 1954, with its "minimum radar signature," and the Lockheed Blackbird 10 years later. And of course, anyone who has seen The Hunt for Red October or any number of submarine movies knows that submarines have embraced the concept of silent running {{and avoiding detection for years.
But what about surface vessels? How to mask large, relatively slow-moving ships has been an ongoing problem, but naval engineers may have finally cracked the nut with three new high-profile designs: the Visby corvette, designed by the Swedish shipbuilders Kockums, the British Type 45 Destroyer, designed by BAE Systems, and the U.S. Navy's DD(X) destroyer, under construction by Northrop Grumman.
Pretty Powerful Plastic
Of course, with advancements in technology, it's tougher than ever to escape detection. Consider the many methods the military can use to spot a ship: visually (with the naked eye or by satellite), radar, sonar (mainly used by submarines), and even infrared (missiles are now equipped with heat-seeking systems to track enemy vessels).
The Visby, which is already commissioned to go into service for the Swedish Navy in January 2005 -- is designed to minimize all of the above, as well as above-water acoustic and hydroacoustic signatures, underwater electrical potential and magnetic signature, and pressure signatures. How does it accomplish this? For starters, it is the largest vessel ever constructed of carbon fiber -- a super-hard, lightweight plastic that is also used in the making of race car chassis and racing yacht hulls. Specifically, the boat's surface is composed of two layers of carbon fiber filled with a Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)-like foam, or what Kockums calls sandwich-construction carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). This composite material has been proven to reduce a ship's "signature," so that not only is it more difficult to pick up on radar, but also less vulnerable to mines and other types of electronic detection, such as infrared. Since the material is not made of steel, it also escapes detection by magnetic waves. And since the Visby, at 600 tons, is about half as light as a conventional corvette, it has quicker escape abilities. That's not even mentioning the lower maintenance costs for a ship composed of plastics as opposed to one built from steel, and the lower fuel consumption costs.
You might think, "How can a ship made of plastic be tougher than one made with steel?" but carbon fiber is one tough material to crack. How tough? Kockums originally used diamonds to cut the carbon fiber in building the Visby, but the diamonds wore out quickly, and thus the engineers had to build a new, tougher cutting technology -- an extreme high-pressure water jet.
All in the Angle
Another critical factor in escaping radar detection is the angle at which radar waves bounce off the surface of your ship. The key is to construct vessels that don't have "right angles," which tend to reflect radar right back to the source. The Visby diminishes radar detection with its flat, outwardly-sloping superstructure, which reflects radar waves at "favorable" angles. This gives it a minimal radar signature, (also known as a "cross-section"), contrasted to the steel-and-aluninum superstructure of a standard ship, which features a "starved horse" pattern that results in uncontrolled reflection of radar waves.
It also helps when you don't have anything to reflect radar waves off of -- thus, the Visby has a fully retractable 57mm cannon which reduces its cross-section still further. And every feature that does not need to be located outside the hull has been built in or concealed under specially designed hatches. Even the gas turbine exhausts have been concealed in hidden outlets close to the water surface at the stern of the vessel.
The Bottom Line
All this talk of angles and materials is all very well, but what's the end result?
In simple terms, because of its stealth measures, if the Visby is 100 kilometers from an enemy vessel, it can pick up the enemy on its own radar, but not vice versa. In fact, the enemy would have to be within 30 kilometers of the Visby to spot it. The Visby get an additional jump on its opponents thanks to its integrated CETRIS system, which incorporates functions for internal and external communications, and includes sensors such as surveillance radar, electronic support systems including a radar warning device, a fire control director, and navigation sensors. The system can also be outfitted with an infrared scanner/tracker, laser warner, jammer, and control for surface-to-air missiles (SAM), and surface-to-surface missiles (SSM), as well as rapidly retractable antennas, some of which are concealed behind frequency selective surfaces (FSS).
All this means is that the Visby is well-prepared to get the jump on its opponent well before the opponent can detect it -- or lay mine traps for its opponent, if the opponent is a vessel or submarine.
^^^
It should be noted that the Visby is only a first step towards the dream of a global stealth fleet -- it is only 73 meters long and intended for coastal, or littoral warfare. And despite the "wow" factor of the carbon fiber hull, the Visby is vulnerable, like any ship, to the modern surface-to-surface missile. Questions also remain about how a carbon-fiber hull would hold up under the duress of the high seas. But as a prototype for new technologies and stealth capabilities, the Visby is mighty impressive. Kockums claims that a 120-meter long ship has been designed that is comparable to the Visby's high stealth standards, so a future in which these ships patrol the oceans may be closer than we think.
Brit & Yank Editions
The Visby may currently be in the lead when it comes to deploying stealth vessel technology, but the US and UK are busy developing their own variants. Britain's major project is the Type 45 Anti Air Warfare Destroyer, which shares many of the same principles as the Visby, although the Royal Navy is going the more conservative route on the materials used for the hull (steel instead of carbon fiber). Developed by BAE Systems, the vessel has an advanced radar mounted on the top of one two asymmetrical towers, which will provide surveillance and tracking in an all-in-one package. It also will be the first Royal navy ship with integrated electrical propulsion, which will cut down on fuel costs. As with the Visby, the ship's superstructure will have radar deflecting angles to cut down on detection, and it has been rumored that the ship will be able to artificially generate a mist to disguise itself as a bank of fog. Six Type 45s have been ordered, and they are expected to enter service around 2007.
The biggest destroyer prototype of all belongs to the US Navy, which is developing the DD(X) class that will eventually replace the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers. When complete, the DD(X), built by Northrop Grumman, should be 208 meters long, at a whopping 14,000 tons. In keeping with the "one form fits all" philosophy such as with the X-35 fighter jet and the Stryker vehicle, the DD(X) will pave the way for development of the CG(X) cruiser and the smaller Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), all with a common "hullform" and technology. The projected cost for the 70 warships which will comprise this extended family? A very cool $100 billion.
The DD(X) shares the radar reflecting hull characteristics of the other two ships, but in a slightly different approach, also features a "tumblehome" hull form, where the hull slopes inward from above the waterline and reduces the cross-section. The design has been described as "wave-piercing," which means that the designers have deliberately avoided the sort of buoyancy which lifts conventional ships over waves. The reason? Minimize ship motion that may make it susceptible to enemy radar. In the same vein, rolling motion will also be minimized, which means that Sailors will have to be ready for plenty of waves to break over the ship's deck. An added bonus is a rear deck that can accommodate two SH-60 LAMPS helicopters. And lest you think this seems like an awful lot of money for a ship, Northrop Grumman argues that as the ship will require less crewmen to operate (200 less than the Arleigh Burke class), which will significantly cut operating costs.
The Integrated Deckhouse of the DD(X) is fully EMC (Electromagetic Compatibility) shielded, featuring an all-composite superstructure, low signature electronically steered arrays, an integrated multi-function mast, and low radar and infrared signatures. Other measures to reduce the vessel's infrared signature (and thus make it less detectable) include the development of an exhaust suppressor. Finally, the DD(X) boasts an all-electric drive and Integrated Power System (IPS), which will open the door for electromagnetic (EM) weapon technologies that are light years beyond current weapon speeds and kinetic power.
Work on the lead DD(X) ship is scheduled to begin in March 2005, and computer simulations involving the vessel have already taken place. In one scenario, the ship was able to sneak close to an enemy shore and strike at missile sites 100 miles inland with its twin 155 mm guns. In another test, the destroyer was estimated to have a 95 percent chance of defeating a six-missile attack by using countermeasures.
There's no question about it -- big bucks are being spent to get ahead on stealth ship technology. But is it possible to render a ship completely invisible to detection? Most naval experts would say no, and it remains to be seen if the technology experts can challenge that assumption. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled -- we could be on the brink of the Stealth Revolution.
__________________
This is going to change Navy warefare. Stealth ships.
radar -- and new designs in vessels may increase the stealth capabilities of the world's surface fleets.
Sneak in below enemy radar; don't let 'em know you're there until it's too late. This has been the guiding principle behind stealth technology. Since the invention of radar, military technology has pursued methods and hardware designs to help give the good guys the drop on the bad guys before the bad guys can detect them. Using stealth in the air is not a new concept; the Air Force got the early jump with the U-2 spy plane in 1954, with its "minimum radar signature," and the Lockheed Blackbird 10 years later. And of course, anyone who has seen The Hunt for Red October or any number of submarine movies knows that submarines have embraced the concept of silent running {{and avoiding detection for years.
But what about surface vessels? How to mask large, relatively slow-moving ships has been an ongoing problem, but naval engineers may have finally cracked the nut with three new high-profile designs: the Visby corvette, designed by the Swedish shipbuilders Kockums, the British Type 45 Destroyer, designed by BAE Systems, and the U.S. Navy's DD(X) destroyer, under construction by Northrop Grumman.
Pretty Powerful Plastic
Of course, with advancements in technology, it's tougher than ever to escape detection. Consider the many methods the military can use to spot a ship: visually (with the naked eye or by satellite), radar, sonar (mainly used by submarines), and even infrared (missiles are now equipped with heat-seeking systems to track enemy vessels).
The Visby, which is already commissioned to go into service for the Swedish Navy in January 2005 -- is designed to minimize all of the above, as well as above-water acoustic and hydroacoustic signatures, underwater electrical potential and magnetic signature, and pressure signatures. How does it accomplish this? For starters, it is the largest vessel ever constructed of carbon fiber -- a super-hard, lightweight plastic that is also used in the making of race car chassis and racing yacht hulls. Specifically, the boat's surface is composed of two layers of carbon fiber filled with a Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)-like foam, or what Kockums calls sandwich-construction carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). This composite material has been proven to reduce a ship's "signature," so that not only is it more difficult to pick up on radar, but also less vulnerable to mines and other types of electronic detection, such as infrared. Since the material is not made of steel, it also escapes detection by magnetic waves. And since the Visby, at 600 tons, is about half as light as a conventional corvette, it has quicker escape abilities. That's not even mentioning the lower maintenance costs for a ship composed of plastics as opposed to one built from steel, and the lower fuel consumption costs.
You might think, "How can a ship made of plastic be tougher than one made with steel?" but carbon fiber is one tough material to crack. How tough? Kockums originally used diamonds to cut the carbon fiber in building the Visby, but the diamonds wore out quickly, and thus the engineers had to build a new, tougher cutting technology -- an extreme high-pressure water jet.
All in the Angle
Another critical factor in escaping radar detection is the angle at which radar waves bounce off the surface of your ship. The key is to construct vessels that don't have "right angles," which tend to reflect radar right back to the source. The Visby diminishes radar detection with its flat, outwardly-sloping superstructure, which reflects radar waves at "favorable" angles. This gives it a minimal radar signature, (also known as a "cross-section"), contrasted to the steel-and-aluninum superstructure of a standard ship, which features a "starved horse" pattern that results in uncontrolled reflection of radar waves.
It also helps when you don't have anything to reflect radar waves off of -- thus, the Visby has a fully retractable 57mm cannon which reduces its cross-section still further. And every feature that does not need to be located outside the hull has been built in or concealed under specially designed hatches. Even the gas turbine exhausts have been concealed in hidden outlets close to the water surface at the stern of the vessel.
The Bottom Line
All this talk of angles and materials is all very well, but what's the end result?
In simple terms, because of its stealth measures, if the Visby is 100 kilometers from an enemy vessel, it can pick up the enemy on its own radar, but not vice versa. In fact, the enemy would have to be within 30 kilometers of the Visby to spot it. The Visby get an additional jump on its opponents thanks to its integrated CETRIS system, which incorporates functions for internal and external communications, and includes sensors such as surveillance radar, electronic support systems including a radar warning device, a fire control director, and navigation sensors. The system can also be outfitted with an infrared scanner/tracker, laser warner, jammer, and control for surface-to-air missiles (SAM), and surface-to-surface missiles (SSM), as well as rapidly retractable antennas, some of which are concealed behind frequency selective surfaces (FSS).
All this means is that the Visby is well-prepared to get the jump on its opponent well before the opponent can detect it -- or lay mine traps for its opponent, if the opponent is a vessel or submarine.
^^^
It should be noted that the Visby is only a first step towards the dream of a global stealth fleet -- it is only 73 meters long and intended for coastal, or littoral warfare. And despite the "wow" factor of the carbon fiber hull, the Visby is vulnerable, like any ship, to the modern surface-to-surface missile. Questions also remain about how a carbon-fiber hull would hold up under the duress of the high seas. But as a prototype for new technologies and stealth capabilities, the Visby is mighty impressive. Kockums claims that a 120-meter long ship has been designed that is comparable to the Visby's high stealth standards, so a future in which these ships patrol the oceans may be closer than we think.
Brit & Yank Editions
The Visby may currently be in the lead when it comes to deploying stealth vessel technology, but the US and UK are busy developing their own variants. Britain's major project is the Type 45 Anti Air Warfare Destroyer, which shares many of the same principles as the Visby, although the Royal Navy is going the more conservative route on the materials used for the hull (steel instead of carbon fiber). Developed by BAE Systems, the vessel has an advanced radar mounted on the top of one two asymmetrical towers, which will provide surveillance and tracking in an all-in-one package. It also will be the first Royal navy ship with integrated electrical propulsion, which will cut down on fuel costs. As with the Visby, the ship's superstructure will have radar deflecting angles to cut down on detection, and it has been rumored that the ship will be able to artificially generate a mist to disguise itself as a bank of fog. Six Type 45s have been ordered, and they are expected to enter service around 2007.
The biggest destroyer prototype of all belongs to the US Navy, which is developing the DD(X) class that will eventually replace the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers. When complete, the DD(X), built by Northrop Grumman, should be 208 meters long, at a whopping 14,000 tons. In keeping with the "one form fits all" philosophy such as with the X-35 fighter jet and the Stryker vehicle, the DD(X) will pave the way for development of the CG(X) cruiser and the smaller Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), all with a common "hullform" and technology. The projected cost for the 70 warships which will comprise this extended family? A very cool $100 billion.
The DD(X) shares the radar reflecting hull characteristics of the other two ships, but in a slightly different approach, also features a "tumblehome" hull form, where the hull slopes inward from above the waterline and reduces the cross-section. The design has been described as "wave-piercing," which means that the designers have deliberately avoided the sort of buoyancy which lifts conventional ships over waves. The reason? Minimize ship motion that may make it susceptible to enemy radar. In the same vein, rolling motion will also be minimized, which means that Sailors will have to be ready for plenty of waves to break over the ship's deck. An added bonus is a rear deck that can accommodate two SH-60 LAMPS helicopters. And lest you think this seems like an awful lot of money for a ship, Northrop Grumman argues that as the ship will require less crewmen to operate (200 less than the Arleigh Burke class), which will significantly cut operating costs.
The Integrated Deckhouse of the DD(X) is fully EMC (Electromagetic Compatibility) shielded, featuring an all-composite superstructure, low signature electronically steered arrays, an integrated multi-function mast, and low radar and infrared signatures. Other measures to reduce the vessel's infrared signature (and thus make it less detectable) include the development of an exhaust suppressor. Finally, the DD(X) boasts an all-electric drive and Integrated Power System (IPS), which will open the door for electromagnetic (EM) weapon technologies that are light years beyond current weapon speeds and kinetic power.
Work on the lead DD(X) ship is scheduled to begin in March 2005, and computer simulations involving the vessel have already taken place. In one scenario, the ship was able to sneak close to an enemy shore and strike at missile sites 100 miles inland with its twin 155 mm guns. In another test, the destroyer was estimated to have a 95 percent chance of defeating a six-missile attack by using countermeasures.
There's no question about it -- big bucks are being spent to get ahead on stealth ship technology. But is it possible to render a ship completely invisible to detection? Most naval experts would say no, and it remains to be seen if the technology experts can challenge that assumption. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled -- we could be on the brink of the Stealth Revolution.
__________________
This is going to change Navy warefare. Stealth ships.
