Similar to military aircraft stealth technology, naval warfare also incorporates some of its features in its fleets. Regardless of the environment, military aircraft and naval vessels require reduced detectability from radar and infrared systems. For this reason, one of the key differentiators that the Stiletto M80 has from traditional navy boats is its catamaran hull design.
Although not impossible to detect on radar, this design has a lower profile that helps reduce its radar cross-section, making it more challenging to track. Additionally, the Stiletto M80’s globally patented technology, the M-hull, uses bow wave energy to create an air cushion, which acts like an effective shock absorber for high-speed sailing, per Military.com.
However, due to its different landscape, there are unique challenges in the water that the M80 Stiletto addresses. For example, naval vessels need to consider the role of sonar in their operations. To manage this, the M80 Stiletto is constructed with composite materials that don’t just scatter radar waves better but also reduce its overall noise and vibration. With this, it can better evade enemy submarines that could potentially be lurking beneath its surface. In fact, the M80 Stiletto is also the largest U.S. government vessel made with carbon fiber, which contributes to its lightness and stiffness.
[Featured image by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathaniel Moger/U.S. Navy via Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Cropped and scaled | Public domain]
