ONR's Latest High Speed Vessel Technology Demonstrator

Most people have heard of X-Craft, the slick high speed ship with a pretty good profile on the military channel every now and again. Named the Sea Fighter (FSF-1), X-Craft really is the only Littoral Combat Ship the Navy has today. Theoretically, you could also label the ship "Duncan Hunters Fleet" and we would know exactly what you are talking about.

The next big ONR project is moving along well, and was just funded into phase II of 3 phases. Known as T-Craft, Seapower Magazine did a really well done review of the T-Craft concept in their September 2007 issue. Basically, ONR is trying to find that Iron Triangle of speed, endurance, and payload in a high speed surface connector.

We really liked the Navatek Ltd T-Craft concept, and had been hoping they would pass to phase II after we read the Seapower Magazine article, but simply looking really damn cool didn't impress ONR.

Alion was one of the companies that did win, and this was their recent press release.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has selected Alion Science and Technology to proceed with Phase II, the detailed design phase, of the Sea Base Connector Transformable-Craft (T-Craft) program. The contract, worth between $6 and $10 million over a period of 12 to 24 months, was awarded on Nov. 30 and makes Alion eligible for the critical Phase III award—construction of the ship—on a $156M contract.

Under the Phase II contract, Alion will build full-scale models of new technologies and demonstrate that they work. These technologies include a ship skirt and seal design, an innovative propulsion power distribution system and vehicle transfer technologies. The second phase also requires Alion to finalize a design suitable for construction of a full-scale ship.

The Seapower Mag article is a great read, but when it mentioned the Alion version of the T-Craft, no details were given. An article from Janes offers more details, including the picture above, regarding the Alion concept and the T-Craft project generally.

Fully amphibious, the T-Craft would be beachable. It would deploy in an unloaded state and be capable of travelling up to 2,500 n miles to a seabase, where it would demonstrate excellent seakeeping abilities.

The vessel would then serve as a high-speed connector, attaining a speed of 40 kt in Sea State 4 to convey troops as well as wheeled and tracked vehicles to beachheads. It would have a payload capacity of four to 10 M1A1 main battle tanks, or their equivalent, and be capable of carrying up to 750 tons.

The T-Craft is intended to have three modes of operation: a fuel-efficient or seakeeping mode for long-distance open-ocean transits; a high-speed or shallow-water mode for rapid seabased military vehicle transfer operations; and an amphibious mode for traversing sandbars and mudflats to achieve final delivery of the payload.

Umoe Mandal, a Norweigian-based company, also won an ONR award for the second phase of T-Craft. They are profiled a bit in that Seapower magazine article. They are certainly worth watching as well, since their T-Craft concept is based on a derivative of Umoe-Mandal Skjold Class Missile Fast Patrol Boats.

Sea Fighter (FSF-1) has become one of those urban myths. We believe it exists but the Navy keeps it in hiding, actually we know it exists because Duncan Hunter loves to talk about it. Is their potential in T-Craft? Recent history of ONR projects would imply, probably not beyond what it is designed to be, a concept demonstrator, but I have to admit I really like the M80 Stiletto idea despite its thin skin, and Sea Fighter (FSF-1) would make an excellent armed anti-piracy SOF support platform... or one would think. ONR does have a good track record for producing inexpensive technology demonstrators, and T-Craft is looking like another fun ONR project to keep an eye on.