US Navy commissions PVC \'\'stealth\'\' ship

(2003-01-07) In a deal which could lead to a breakthrough in the use of composites in military ships, the Swedish developer Kockums AB, is teaming up with US defence giant Northrop Grumman to design a new ship for the US Navy built with a PVC hull, reports Reinforced Plastics Magazine (December 2002).

The project could to lead to the development of a whole new family of surface combatants the for the US Navy in the future. The first of the Kockums 'radar invisible' Visby-Class corvettes which feature a non magnetic hull made from a sandwhich construction featuring a PVC core laminated with a carbon fibre/vinyl ester laminate is now under-going sea trials with the Swedish Defence Material Administration. The vessel which is 72m long can avoid detection by radar, infra red cameras and other sensors and has been designed for a number of roles such as mine clearance, surface combat, marine surveillance and vessel protection. Like the infamous US stealth bombers, the hull of the 'stealth' ship features large flat surfaces with sharp edges to minimise signatures, and anything which is not essential on the outside of the hull has been built into the main body or is hidden under hatches.

(2003-01-07) In a deal which could lead to a breakthrough in the use of composites in military ships, the Swedish developer Kockums AB, is teaming up with US defence giant Northrop Grumman to design a new ship for the US Navy built with a PVC hull, reports Reinforced Plastics Magazine (December 2002).

The project could to lead to the development of a whole new family of surface combatants the for the US Navy in the future. The first of the Kockums 'radar invisible' Visby-Class corvettes which feature a non magnetic hull made from a sandwhich construction featuring a PVC core laminated with a carbon fibre/vinyl ester laminate is now under-going sea trials with the Swedish Defence Material Administration. The vessel which is 72m long can avoid detection by radar, infra red cameras and other sensors and has been designed for a number of roles such as mine clearance, surface combat, marine surveillance and vessel protection. Like the infamous US stealth bombers, the hull of the 'stealth' ship features large flat surfaces with sharp edges to minimise signatures, and anything which is not essential on the outside of the hull has been built into the main body or is hidden under hatches.