Three Hulls = One Ship
The U.K. Ministry of Defense (MOD) has been studying the use of the trimaran hullform for its Future Surface Combatant. As part of its research and risk reduction process an ocean going demonstrator Research Vessel (RV) Triton was procured by QinetiQ, the former U.K. Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. From October 2000 to March 2002 it was used in these risk reduction trials and is now available for hire as a general trials ship. Over the past seven years the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) has explored in some detail the potential benefits of a trimaran. Hydrodynamic and structures studies by QinetiQ together with design investigations by the U.K.
Flat Screen Marine Radars Earn Type-Approval
Litton Marine Systems (LMS) received type approval for its Decca BridgeMaster E 180 and 250 flat-screen marine radars. The type approval, granted by the U.K. Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, signifies that the flat-screen radars meet the stringent International Electrotechnical Commission specifications for performance and environmental requirements. The approval covers the 15-in. BridgeMaster E 180 and 18- and 20-in. BridgeMaster E 250 models, and includes as an option the company's Vision technology for automatic clutter suppression. The new series of flat-screen radars provide significant savings in space and weight over traditional CRT displays. This is especially important for high-speed craft, in which size and weight are significant constraints.
