M80 Stiletto

M Ship said the Stiletto achieves superior performance based on the company's patented M-hull technology, which recaptures the bow wave and uses its energy to create an air cushion for more efficient planning.

The M80 Stiletto is made solely of carbon fibre for reduced weight and increased stiffness and is said to be the largest vessel ever built in the USA from this material.

The Stiletto is a twin M-hull vessel with a length of 88ft and beam of 40ft, which M Ship claims provides a deck area equivalent to a conventional displacement craft 160ft in length. Stiletto has a fully loaded draft of three metres and is designed for a speed of 50 to 60kts.

The builder claims M-hull is an advanced, planning-hull technology that reduces the "drag hump" to offer efficient cruising speeds not normally associated with planning craft. The design evolved from a challenge to help solve the problem of wave erosion in Venice, Italy.

M Ship said the advantages of the design are: a wave piercing front end; multiple lifting surfaces; captured wave/air lift; automatic ride control; reduction in viscous drag; dynamic stability; reduced pitch and roll; very shallow draft; increased payload fraction, shock mitigation; and, wake signature reduction.

By combining two or more M-hulls side-by-side, M Ship expects to herald a new breed of military craft that could allow large combat and transport ships to transcend the hull-speed limit, as well as a variety of commercial vessels.

Although not intended to become operational, M Ship said the Stiletto has already been deployed to Colombia, making a high-speed, shallow-water drug interdiction that resulted in the capture of 1800lb of cocaine.