By Geoff Fein
Stiletto, a high-speed, composite ship, successfully met all the programmatic objectives of her operational evaluation (OPEVAL), demonstrating how an innovative effort can be achieved in a very short period of time.
The OPEVAL established that Stiletto‘s value could be significantly enhanced if it were deployed in a littoral environment and was equipped with enhanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities. If Stiletto is to play a larger or more permanent role in counter illicit operations, then significant modifications would be needed to ensure success, according to the report.
The lessons learned and insights gained from the OPEVAL are invaluable for future innovation projects and for Stiletto sponsors, the report added.
The craft, built by San Diego-based M Ship Co., underwent OPEVAL this past summer. U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) conducted the OPEVAL, and it included participation from the Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South, U.S. Coast Guard, the Army and U.S. Army South (USARSO), the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and a representative from Colombia.
In September, SAIC [SAI] prepared a 72-page after action report outlining the findings of the OPEVAL, test objectives, operational issues and recommendations.
The 80-foot long Stiletto, with its unique double M-hull configuration, was developed as a test bed for new systems and technologies, ranging from unmanned surface and aerial systems as well as Augmented Reality Visualization of the Common Operational Picture (ARVCOP), built by Maine-based Technology Systems Inc. The system ties together all the ship’s sensors into a single display for the coxswain (Defense Daily, Nov. 8, 2007).
Special Operations Command paid a third of the cost to develop Stiletto and OSD is the sponsor of the program.
The OPEVAL itself presented SOUTHCOM with a number of firsts, including: The first time a carbon-fiber M-shaped hull vessel was used in real-world operations; An OSD experimental vessel supported real world operations; and an airship coordinated with Stiletto to demonstrate a new concept of operations for counter-illicit trafficking operations.
The airship, or blimp, was leased by the Navy for a six-week test mission between Florida’s southern coast and Cuba, according to the report. The Navy leased Skyship 600 from Airship Management Services, Greenwich, Conn.
The goal of the OPEVAL was to deter and disrupt illicit trafficking in the JIATF South area of operations, according to the report.
“During operations in the Florida Straits, Stiletto was responsible for the interdiction and apprehension of a suspicious vessel that was identified by the [Coast Guard] as a target of interest,” the report said.
Stiletto‘s speed and ability to keep up with a go-fast boat, even pursuing it into shallow waters, proved critical for mission success, according to the SAIC report.
Although Stiletto‘s OPEVAL was successful, many of the participants, according to the report, believed that ship’s impact could have been much more significant if several limiting factors had been mitigated. “These factors included the fact that Stiletto was restricted to operate in international waters where the weather and sea state conditions were unfavorable; limitations of Stiletto’s communications and surveillance systems, including lack of secure chat and data access, problems with voice satellite communications (SATCOMs) when Stiletto was port side, and a commercial-grade radar that was ill-equipped to identify targets of interest; and maintenance problems with Stiletto and its rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) among others.,” the report stated.
Whether Stiletto were to become a program of record, or remain a test bed, the OPEVAL did establish that the current configuration makes the composite craft best employed as a targeted response craft than as a patrol asset, the report noted. Recommended improvements could give Stiletto greater utility as a patrol platform.
“The success of the Stiletto OPEVAL clearly demonstrates the utility and value of Stiletto as an enabler of innovation and as an asset to be utilized in counter- illicit trafficking missions,” the report said. “It is recommended that Stiletto evaluation and experimentation efforts continue and that sponsors consider utilizing Stiletto in future counter-illicit trafficking operations.”
The report’s recommendations included improvements to Stiletto‘s C4ISR systems to enhance maritime domain awareness; install Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNET) chat and data capabilities; replace the maritime radar system with one capable of accurately identifying illicit trafficking vessels (i.e., go-fast boats); replace or significantly modify Stiletto‘s RHIB; consider establishing a dedicated integrated Stiletto team (crew and operators) that trains and operates together for a period of time; resolve policy, programmatic and technical issues preventing Stiletto from being equipped with organic force protection systems; consider equipping Stiletto to enable it to support three to five day missions; equipping Stiletto with enhanced C4ISR capabilities enabling the vessel to operate as a C4ISR node supporting detection and monitoring and interdiction and apprehension missions; and equipping Stiletto with enhanced C4ISR and force protection systems enabling the vessel to operate as an interdiction and apprehension asset.