UK's Royal Navy Introduces New Warship

Updated: Sunday, 18 Sep 2011, 9:50 AM MST
Published : Sunday, 18 Sep 2011, 9:50 AM MST

(NewsCore) - An eco-friendly warship that travels silently and is fitted with underwater drones will become the new mainstay of Britain's Royal Navy.

The warship will be the "greenest" ever to go into service, The (London) Sunday Times reported. Thirteen of the warships are due to enter service with the Royal Navy from 2020.

The warship cuts fuel consumption and reduces emissions by using selective catalytic reactors -- devices similar to catalytic converters on cars -- as well as low-consumption LED electric lighting and drag-reducing paint on the hulls.

The ship will also have a duel-drive system. "The ship will run on diesel drive when it needs silent running to hunt submarines," Brian Johnson, a member of the team from BAE Systems that worked on the design, said. "But when it needs speed the gas turbine will be engaged."

The vessel is billed as the first true "post-Cold War" warship to be designed for the Royal Navy. It is intended to be as effective against pirates in speedboats as it is in naval battles.

The ship will include launchers that will drop rigid inflatable boats carrying marines into rough seas during anti-piracy missions, the report said.

A revolutionary "mission bay" at the ship's stern will also allow the crew to launch the unmanned underwater drones, as well as remote-operated speedboats to spy on enemy coastlines and vessels.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpps/news/u ... 8_15080598