The US Marines Desperately Want the Super Fast Stealth Attack Boat. Another great idea for us military and US Navy. This fast attack stealth boat will make a difference. GHOST is a super-cavitating surface craft which is able to achieve 900 times less hull friction compared to a conventional watercraft and is developed by US Citizens for the US Navy at no cost to the US government for providing superior protection to US service personnel. The craft was built by Juliet Marine Systems. The secrecy orders on the project were removed on 11 August 2011.
The Ghost uses a dual-pontoon supercavitating hull, known as the small waterplane-area twin-hull (SWATH), to run at top speed through 10 ft (3.0 m) seas. It is gyro-stabilized, control is provided by 22 underwater control surfaces. Below eight knots, the Ghost sits in the water on its centerline 38 ft (12 m)-long module; faster than this, the marine aluminum buoyant hulls lift the main hull out of the water by two 12 ft (3.7 m)-long struts, achieving full stability and reducing the amount of area resisting the water. Each strut is attached to a 62 ft (19 m)-long underwater tube that contains the engines. Four propellers are at the front of the tubes, which is more stable and allows for better control at high speeds; the propellers funnel air down through the struts, creating a gas bubble around each tube (the cavitation effect) for reduced drag and smooth motion. Propulsion on the prototype is provided by two T53-703 turboshaft engines providing 2,000 horsepower, there are plans to later adopt the General Electric T700 turboshaft engine. Since the tubes that contain the engines, fuel, and most computing systems are underwater, this lessens vulnerability because critical systems are protected by the water itself. The aircraft-style cockpit is outfitted with large windshields fashioned from the two-inch-thick glass; steering is provided via a throttle and joystick arrangement. The Ghost has achieved speeds of over 30 knots and is being tested to 50 knots.[2][5][6][4]
It is called the Ghost because it is virtually invisible to sonar and radar detection through its aluminum and stainless steel construction, making it non-magnetic, its hull angles bear a resemblance those of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk. It can perform several types of missions, including anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and mine countermeasures (MCM): ASuW armament consists of the M197 20mm rotary cannon and launch tubes that expel exhaust downward between the struts of the SWATH hulls, concealing and dissipating the thermal signature of the launch for BGM-176B Griffin missiles and Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets, with an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor and radar; an ASW version could be equipped with an EO/IR sensor, radar, sonobuoy launch tubes, a dipping sonar, and four aft-firing torpedo tubes; an MCM version could be equipped with a towing boom to lower and raise two towed mine-hunting sonars, such as the Kline 5000 or Raytheon AN/AQS-20A. The current Ghost costs $10 million per copy, is crewed by 3-5 sailors, has an endurance of 3 days, and can be partially disassembled to fit in a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III for transport if needed. There is room for 16 passengers with two 6 in (15 cm)-diameter round windows in the hull. It is designed for fleet protection for navies with few blue-water needs but requires a small and affordable craft in large numbers for near-shore maritime border patrol and defense missions.
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