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torals, Jacob Shuford, RiverHawk?s development director, said last month.In partnership with Raytheon and Rheinmetall, River- Hawk designed, built, out tted and operates the 22-me- ter Striker, a 55+ knots full load, high-performance craft optimized for tactical environments. ?We built the 22 as an operational prototype,? Shuford said. ?We bought it ourselves for development.? The Striker 22 is a modern, composite hull form, with a 500 nautical-mile range and accommodations for multi-day operations. Its innovations include speed, stability and integrated electronics to ensure responsiveness and exibil-ity in missions. The Striker 22 is optimized against multi- axis, multi-wave, high-speed aggressor watercraft. The craft introduces Raytheon?s Command Bridge, integrating navigation; tactical planning; EO/IR or electro-optical/in- frared sensors; ECM or electronic countermeasures; and missile and gun- re control functions into one system. The Striker?s platform has twin 12.7 mm advanced, sta- bilized remote-operated mounts. The craft can accommo- date a larger, medium-caliber gun such as Rheinmetall?s MLG-27 and a surface-to-surface missile launcher system, like Raytheon?s Grif n. Other features include network-capable communica- tions. Speed and C2, or command and communications, allow the Striker to surge assets and concentrate deterrence in response to intelligence or alerts. Forward, remote- controlled, stabilized mounts and aft-deck crew-served weapons provide accurate, redundant, overlapping, high rates-of- re. Aft deck supports fast-roping operations and USV/UAV/Comb, or unmanned surface and aerial vehicle combat. Notably, RiverHawk also markets 16-meter and 31-meter craft in its SeaStriker series. EURO MARINE?S MANEUVERABLE, ENIGMATIC PI-65 Euro Marine Ltd.?s 20-meter PI-65 is a high-performance, aluminum patrol boat, operating fr om land or maritime platforms. With it, the company has rede ned an enigmatic, hull-form concept dating to the early 1950?s. The PI-65 is designed to combat piracy in international shipping lanes and to protect offshore assets, including oil platforms and wind farms. Arguably, the PI-65 brings together all of the desirable aspects of the maritime security platform, while allowing operations in a multiple conditions. Amidships, the PI-65?s hull ares into an enigmatic form, creating ve planing surfaces--a at box keel, two in- ner chines and two outer chines. The design allows for a highly ef cient lift onto a plane and excellent lateral stabil- ity, Bill Rigby of Euro Marine said last month. The aft sec- tion provides stability through its relatively at, wide shape, while its concave form sends clean, non-turbulent water to the propulsion area, creating a slipstream for the props. The single-engine, propeller operation of the craft?s Hydro-Multi-Lift hull form doesn?t push against the keel and consequently, vessel steering isn?t affected the way it is in deep-V hull forms. As a result, water entering the pro- peller area is clear of turbulent backwash from the keel. Captains can cut to using one engine on long voyages since the aft-hull shape eliminates the steering action that a sin-gle, rotating prop causes. The Hydro-Multi-Lift hull is on plane quickly, conserv- ing fuel for longer ranges and extended cones of interdic- tion. The boat has a fuel capacity of 14,000 liters; in itself, a new standard for offshore patrol vessels. Another chief bene t of the Hydro-Multi-Lift design is its shallow draft. The low displacement of newly introduced Alustar high- strength, light-weight, corrosion-resistant marine alumi- num, coupled with the elimination of the deep-V amid-ships, makes it possible to maneuver the PI-65 in areas too shallow for other vessels. The PI-65 offers the ability to patrol beyond sheltered harbors and bays, in open water and past the Departure Sea Area to operate safely in Beaufort-scale 10 storm con- ditions. On orders to deploy for interdiction, PI-65 gas- turbine-powered boats can switch from electric APU fuel- conservation, auxiliary power to main turbines running at 75 percent power. The craft can be brought on plane to 50 knots for high-intercept speed. To date, two PI-65 have been delivered to undisclosed foreign buyers to provide security for offshore and coastal installations, Rigby said. ?As the role of the 600-foot warship becomes less ef- fective in combating piracy, terrorism and other security threats, a new concept is emerging of using a number of small, high-speed vessels capable of speeds of 50 knots,? he said. Euro Marine has U.S. of ces, but assembles the hulls in the Netherlands. DEMAND CONTINUES, EXPORT MARKETS STRONG ?Smaller nations that previously bene ted fr om the presence of larger nation navies are now rethinking their defense situations,? Tampa Yacht?s CEO Stevens said last month. Because of budget tightening, large navies are real- locating resources closer to home. ?Smaller nations are now making serious plans for their own defense, and these plans include a signi cant coastal element,? using patrol boats, he said. When they do, they?ll also turn to U.S. builders for quality, price, reliability ? and yes ? innovation, too. MARITIME SECURITY MN 35www.marinelink.com MN Dec2013 Layout 32-49.indd 35MN Dec2013 Layout 32-49.indd 3511/25/2013 12:49:38 PM11/25/2013 12:49:38 PM
