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 88-foot (27 m) 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 50 knots (90 km/h) and a range of 500 nautical miles (900 km) 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 1,996 square feet (200 m2) of usable interior space. The ship is 88.6 feet (27.0 m) in length, with a width of 40 feet (12 m) and a height of 18.5 feet (5.6 m), yet has a draft of only 2.5 feet (0.8 m).
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.
Rear view of M80 Stiletto during a training of the Navy SEALs , 2006.
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 15-mile (24 km) to 25-mile (40 km) 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.
