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SEA HUNTER DRONE
The
132-foot Sea Hunter
is an autonomous unmanned surface vehicle (USV) launched
in 2016. She was christened 7 April 2016 in
Portland, Oregon.
The drone
uses advanced hydro-acoustics, pattern recognition and
algorithms to locate and shadow enemy submarines. The
idea is to track them, if necessary, over three months
so they are compelled to stay away from strategically
vital areas. Once a sub is detected, Sea Hunter
keeps following it whenever it goes. The sub gets stuck
with the surface craft but can't destroy it as doing so
would mean an act of war.
Sea Hunter
also may be armed and used for counter-mine duties. She
operates at a cost of
$15,000–20,000 per day, a fraction of the cost of a
destroyer at about $900,000 per day (in 2023.) She could
operate with Littoral Combat Ships, becoming an
extension of the LCS ASW module.
At a cost
of $20 million, Sea Hunter is powered
by two diesel engines which give a top speed of 27
knots. Cruising range is 10,000 nautical miles at 12
knots, enough to go from San Diego to Guam and back to
Pearl Harbor.
Sea Hunter
has a full load displacement of 145 tons and is
operational through Sea State 5 (waves up to 6.5 ft high
and winds up to 21 knots), and survivable through Sea
State 7 (seas up to 20 ft high.) The trimaran hull
provides stability, giving her a higher
capacity for linear trajectories and better operations
in shallow waters.
Sea Hunter is fitted with quicKutter
shaft protection rope/line cutters. These devices protect the vessel from damage
caused by rope or net caught by the propellers without
affecting the vessel's performance.
On 22 June
2016, Sea Hunter completed initial performance trials,
meeting or surpassing all performance objectives for
speed, maneuverability, stability, seakeeping,
acceleration/deceleration, fuel consumption, and
mechanical systems reliability in the open-ocean.
In August
2022, Sea Hunter and other unmanned vessels USV Nimrod
and USV Ranger (Ghost Fleet Overlord) participated in
the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC).
This primarily wood
model of the Sea Hunter is 17" long x 8" tall x 7" wide
(1/100 scale)
2,175
Shipping and insurance in
the contiguous USA included.
Other places: $200 flat rate. If you want a larger
model, just email us for a quote. Thanks.
This
Model is built per commission only. We require only a
small deposit (not full amount, not even half) to start
the process $500  The
remaining balance won't be due until the model is
completed, in about 5 months. If you'd like to use with Paypal, let us know and we'll send you a bill.
Learn more about
the Sea Hunter here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Hunter
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